To Find the Infection
by puffball64
Summary: The Earth is in trouble. It has reached out to a select few, crying out from its infection. A few hear the call and start their quest to find the source of this infection. But first, they have to settle a few personal problems.
1. The Beginning

_**To Find the Infection**_

By redghost16

Before the story begins, here is a forward from the person who created the original To Find the Infection:

Foreword

_To Find the Infection_, also referred to as _TFTI_, was originally an RPG. It was based in a semi-DBZ world with a medieval twist thrown in. The RPG was loosely made and very free form. Also, the players were mostly all new RPers, making the RPG sort of, well, badly written.

The RPG was latter converted into a story format by one of the players. This was also badly written, being the original RPG just chopped up into chapters.

What you are about to read is a revised edition of _TFTI_. It has been re-written, some scenes being added and some taken out, and so on. This is in hopes that the story will flow better and appear like a true tale, not just some posts copied and pasted together to form what resembles a story.

As creator of TFTI, I recommend reading this story. And if you're still interested, check out the main TFTI website by going to my homepage.

Truly,

Makurayami (a.k.a. o0makurayami0o)

Also, I would like to see some more feedback on the story, just so I know I could continue it.

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

The earth was calm, well, as far as the human eye can tell, calm. Leaves skipped along the ground, bushes and shrubs guarded the one way road that entered and exited the wooden city. It was a small town, which was about one-hundred yards in length, maybe even diameter, but this isn't the case. The town only had a few houses, sewn together with hay and wooden boards that have fattened from past rain. The years had been bad to the village, which may be the reason why everyone left in the first place. To the very corner of the village, where the shrubs and bushes ended, and where the gateway to the land of demons and monsters humans can't even comprehend, lay a bar, a simple bar, which served simple alcohol. That's all, just a very poor, very small, town. Welcome to Earth, and welcome to this village, in the early years of civilization, where bartering was the only method of survival, and where the small become the colossal.

Some more leaves rushed quickly passed the dirt tracks called a street, passing the path of a young teenage boy. A newcomer had arrived in the city, his name was Zain. An orphan of the planet Earth, he managed to live off the harsh forest land since his seven years of life. This boy was special, he had an ability that no human can possibly attain. Living in the harsh forest that outskirts the village, he had become completely intoned with nature, and its mighty wrath, as well as its calm happiness.

Zain looked around the small village, though there was barely anything to really gaze at. He sensed a very disturbing energy signal while he did his daily meditation, a small ritual that allowed him to balance his powers, and increase them. The Earth was hurting, it was in pain. It was as if the Earth had an infection. Zain was a good child, he is one of those who must always do the right thing; He now had to find what exactly was causing the Earth so much pain, but, without any knowledge of where to go, and how to socialize with others, he would need some help.

A loud shriek caught Zain's attention. The noise was coming from the bar. It figures though, fights always start up between drunks. The bartender usually laughs and sends the loser to the upper regions of the outside forest, only for them to turn up battered and bruised from evil demons that border the village, and in some cases, show up as a corpse lying on the side of the shrubs. In this bar, only two types of people would be found: Warriors, and Drunks.

Zain smiled as he walked toward the direction of the bar, dust kicking up behind his sewn up and damaged combat boots made by his mother during his childhood. He figured that warriors that would be willing to help would lie in the bar. He looked down at his brown combat boots. He was beginning to outgrow them. He'd make more soon.

A man came shooting out of the bar door, breaking it on impact. The man shot like a bullet towards a tree that had sprouted in the outskirts of the city. His body easily shot through the tree, making a hole in the tree's upper body. The man fell flat on his face, bleeding out from his head and nose. The Demons would have food for another day. The tree collapsed seconds later.

A man came walking out of the bar only moments later, cracking his knuckles, and slamming his fists together. Zain stared at the man, he obviously wasn't human. He bore two angelic wings, meaning that he was one of the rarest species on Earth. Hell, those things were even rare in the universe. Simply put, an angelic demon. Zain looked at the newcomer, as the demon pointed toward the dying man.

"Come back anytime you want to fight you bastard!" this new man yelled. His wings flapped a bit, the feathers stretched unnoticeably. He looked Zain square in the eyes. He knew this was no ordinary being, he sensed a strange radiance flowing from the young man's body.

"What are you?" the man asked Zain.

Zain couldn't really respond, so, he simply asked in return, "What and who are you? You're definitely not another one of these humans…" A gust of wind quickly fires up out of nowhere, and blows at Zain's back with a force that rattled some of the fragile neighborhood houses. Zain chuckled a bit, thinking to himself. "The wind blows in the direction of a friend. He is to be my partner. The wind has told me, and the wind is never wrong." Zain stared at this new "friend" with a squinted looking face. "My name is Zain, I am the defender of the Earth, and it is your destiny to join me." He said, pointing towards demon.

"Ha, Destiny huh? Well, I guess the drunk will have to wait." The angelic man spoke aloud, staring back at the now dead drunk. Ants had already begun climbing over and around him, investigating this new development. The Demon flapped his wings in the air again. He spoke the obvious, "I am an Angelic Demon, one of the last on this planet," he then looked at the tiny teenager, at least, compared to the demons massive height, "and I'm supposed to join you in doing what exactly?" he asked, his flapping wings started to kick up some dust and rocks that lie helplessly around them.

Zain looked back at the man. "The Earth is in danger," said Zain, "Soon, it will start to wither away, until it is totally gone, along with its inhabitants." Zain continued to stare at the demon, making direct eye contact. "Do you doubt me demon?" Zain asked. "Observe…" Zain pointed toward the shrub from where the man was lying. The tree that had collapsed was beginning to dissolve. It liquefied into a puddle of gray muck, then evaporated into gas and floated away. "That's what is killing the planet…" Zain explained to the demon.

The demon's eyes widened. He'd seen a lot in his days, but this was new. This was something totally unnatural. Something was indeed happening to the Earth. The Demon turned away in disgust.

"So a tree dissolved, so what?" the Demon sarcastically declared. Before walking any further, he began to think about what he was doing. Zain stared as the demon stood still, concentrating hard on what he was about to do.

"Okay then young one," Rahk spoke, smiling, "I will join you on this 'quest', but is there anything in it for me?" he asked

"What is in it for you?" Zain questioned. "Isn't knowing the fact that you saved Earth not payment enough?"

The Demon grew irritated. "Is that payment enough? Hell No! How can I buy food, booze, or even weapons for that matter with 'I saved the Earth'? NONE!" The demon then smiled at his comment.

"Ah what the hell, I'll join you for free," the demon spoke, then quickly added, "but I get all, if any, of the treasure we find along the way." He stretched out his massive hand toward Zain's feeble body for a handshake. "Do we have a deal?" The demon asked.

Zain smiled back at the demon. "Fine, I have no use for any 'treasure' anyways." Zain looked and stared at the demon's hand. "Are you trying to attack me?" Zain asked the demon.

"No, I just need a handshake to seal the deal. I've made deals with others and had to kill to get my half of the deal, " the demon explained, "so shake!" he shouted, causing the very ground below the two warriors to tremble.

"Shake?" Zain wondered. He slowly moved his hand closer to the demons. He somewhat remembered this, from a memory that he had of his people from long ago, a memory that he had lost after going into the wild for those long, painful years. Zain grasped the demon's hand with his own, and shaked hands on the agreement.

"So," Zain said, "an alliance is formed." Before Zain forgot, he asked the demon one final question. "By the way, what is your name?"

The demon looked at Zain. "Well, if you really must know… it's Rahk.

With that, Zain and Rahk began to take the first steps of their journey. The journey to find the infection…


	2. On the Other Side

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 2: On the Other Side**

Complete darkness covered the interior of an open meadow in a forest, a forest that was clearly far, far away from the new alliance. The darkness took the form of a misty fog, thick enough that not even the most naked of eyes can see through it. The fog suddenly swirled around the center of the open space in the meadow, and began to be sucked into the center. As quickly as it had appeared, the mysterious fog vanished, without a single trace. Feathers rained down upon the grass, feathers of what seemed to be a big bird, perhaps a hawk. A feather landed upon a sleeping youth. The young child's eye shot open, and, with a yawn that echoed across the land, the child felt refreshed, almost reborn even.

The boy looked around the meadow. Nothing was there, just him, and his tattered up clothes. His body felt strange, his mind was completely blank. Only one memory remained in the boy's head:

"My name is Erutan…" the boy murmured to himself. "Erutan, what a silly name, but it's my name I suppose." Erutan thought to himself. He began to walk out of the open meadow, to where, he knew not, when he realized the reason for his emptiness. "Hungry…food." He thought. He searched around his environment, everything was inedible. He felt as though he had been starving for weeks.

Erutan turned towards the bushes. He heard rustling, coming in the form of sudden "jabs" at the leaves and ground below the shrub. A foot was then exposed to the boy. It stood a wimpy two feet tall, and bore brown feathers. It possessed a small red gullet that climbed down its neck. Erutan figured out what it was in a second or two.

"Food." Erutan said to himself. "Chicken." He mumbled. He sighed when he realized it would be impossible for him to not only catch, but kill the chicken, with the little energy he had from whatever had happened. He focused on the bird, wishing for a miracle to happen. Fortunately for him, his wish was granted. A small rock shot at the speed of sound past Erutan. He gasped as it shot toward the helpless animal. The chicken turned, questioning what it was, but it was already too late when the animal realized it was doomed. The rock smashed into the chicken's skull, killing it instantly. Erutan smiled.

"Now, a fire." Erutan thought. No longer than he had thought of a fire did a tree fall down. It was sliced into many small logs, and it suddenly combust into red hot flames. The chicken's leg twitched as it roasted on the open fire. Erutan caught on quickly, regardless of how slow-minded and gullible his personality seemed.

"Can it?" Erutan pondered. He raised his hand toward the fire and again concentrated. He frowned, believing that the events where simply fortunate, but his frown quickly became a smile, when the fire shot from the wood and into his hands. "Yes. I can."

"Erutan munched the chicken, not taking his time to chew the food. He burped in satisfaction over his first meal of the day. He looked towards the forest. It was time to explore. At least, it would have been, if Erutan had not heard an explosion in the opposite direction.

Erutan's head spun all the way around, only managing to see some smoke pillars hanging above the trees in front of him. Erutan quickly dashed towards the direction of the smoke. Maybe his day wouldn't be so boring. On the contrary, Erutan's entire life was about to change…

Erutan ran headfirst into a village. It was made of stone, complete stone. The village was destroyed, fire still burning on the ground, and on some of the flesh of the dead. The smell of blood was everywhere; it made Erutan sick to his, and the chicken's stomach. "Something big must've happened here…" Erutan said, with no one able to hear, or at least, that's what Erutan thought. Erutan felt an eerie presence. It was the presence you feel when someone is watching you, the kind of presence that you wished was gone. Erutan looked around, and saw that no one was there. He still felt it though; someone was indeed there, in the dead village. They were just hiding from the boy. "Whoever you are!" Erutan yelled, "Show yourself!"

Erutan turned the opposite way, still searching for the presence, when he heard another voice, a voice that made his spine shiver.

"Up here boy." A man said. Erutan looked up toward the man. He was sitting on a large, thirty foot pole, cross-legged. He bore a broadsword on his back, and his hair was dark black. This new man leaped from his spot, and landed hard on the ground, kicking up some dirt, and even some nearby corpses. "Friend or foe?" the man asked quickly, looking directly towards Erutan.

"Foe?" Erutan questioned. "Are you expecting me to fight you?" Erutan asked the man. That explosion, seen from far away, must have been made by this extraordinary man. He would die if he tried; at least, that is what Erutan thought. "First," Erutan said, "tell me, who are you?"

The Man chuckled, "Heh. Who am I?" The man pointed quickly to a stone wall behind Erutan. He turned to look, and saw a poster, it seemed like a wanted sign, but Erutan didn't know that. It read:

Juggernaut man Majotte uses his Mind to Destroy a Mountain!

Erutan's eyes widened a bit. To be able to destroy a mountain with a physical ability like the previous explosion is incredible, but managing to blow an entire mountain without touching it. It was something that Erutan thought was only fantasy! Erutan instantly became interested in this, Majotte. Of course, after reading this, Erutan didn't feel like dying.

"Friend, Majotte." Erutan said to him. Suddenly, inside Erutan's head, Erutan heard a loud snapping noise, the noise you'd hear from a breaking bone. Erutan's clouded mind was finally not so clouded.

"I'm Erutan, and my ability," he said, raising his arms, "is to control this:"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook. Tremors suddenly shot many corpses into the sky, only for them to plummet back to ground. Fire burst out from the ground, and wind began to blow in every direction. Clouds suddenly grew dark, and began to fire hail in very rapid succession. Erutan's hands were glowing a faint red while this was happening. Erutan's hands then shot down to the ground, and everything ceased in a flash of light. Erutan smiled.

"Natural Elements are at my command." Erutan smirked.

Majotte smirked, even chuckled. He'd never seen that kind of power before. It was unique. He then told Erutan, in a booming voice, "Well then, 'friend', shall we go?" he said, pointing towards a path in the South. He began to walk toward the path, and looked back at Erutan. "Coming?" he said, quite irritated.

Erutan looked at Majotte. Not quite the person you want to become friends with, but with nothing else to do, Erutan figured, "Why not?" He caught up to Majotte, and began walking down the path with him, ready to take on any challenge.


	3. Zain the Woodling

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 3: Zain's the Woodling**

The road twisted and turned. There were so many different directions to go, and only one lifetime to go to each one. One could get lost in the maze of the roads; one would love to as a matter of fact. To go to random cities and ports, to see the world and all of its glory! That was the dream of an adventurer. Unfortunately, this is not the story of an adventurer; this is a story of the Earth's final moments, its final farewell to humanity. That is, unless, a handful of people could stop it…

Zain and Rahk walked calmly down the swirling roads, taking precise turns whenever it split, nonstop. The wind continued to blow in the direction that they walked. They would never get lost, the wind is never wrong.

They approached a new village. Zain's eyes grew at the sight of this one, as it was completely opposite to what he had seen in the village he found Rahk in. There was a large populace here; people crowded the lands, buying and trading food to other townspeople. Children ran around in circles, playing games like tag, whilst their mothers fetched their dinner for that night. The men were busy selling items to others, while the more muscle bound men continued the task of cutting wood and making weapons. It was more like a metropolis of the middle ages.

"Before we go any longer," Rahk said to Zain, pointing to a nearby building, "I think we should stop here for a drink." Rahk then looked down onto Zain. He smiled, then added, "And if you don't drink, then you will today."

Zain looked at Rahk, obviously puzzled at Rahk's words. "Drink?" He said, his eyes blankly blinking towards the building. "I drink water, of course..." Zain spoke. Rahk walked ahead of Zain. Feeling thirsty however, Zain decides that a drink will do well for him. He quickly followed Rahk into the building, the bar.

Zain immediately had a negative feel of the place. It stunk, horribly. There was a foul odor looming in the air, from what, he'd rather not know. There were many tough looking characters in the bar, though half of them seemed dizzy, and one even vomits on the floor. Zain felt dizzy himself, but managed to pull himself together. Rahk sat down on a stool at the front of the bar, away from the terrible smell, with a glad-looking Zain sitting next to him.

"Bartender, two beers." Rahk quickly spoke to a large man behind the counter. Rahk moves closer to Zain. "Zain, watch your back in here." Rahk warned him. Zain again put on the curious face. Rahk sighed. "There are many pirates and thieves, all just waiting to pick a fight." No sooner had he said this a man had slammed the bar door open. The entire building went silent, except for the bartender that is. The man's shadow loomed over the bar, as everyone stared at him, walking towards Rahk and Zain, and then, sitting down on the side opposite of Rahk.

"A beer please." The man says, not in the most polite way however. The man looked fierce. He wore a blue coat with a white shirt, and had grayish-black hair with dark gray streaks zigzagging from front to back from aging. He wore black pants with black boots and made a loud knocking sound when he walked. He smiled when his beer, along with Rahk and Zain's, arrived at the counter, in front of their eyes.

Rahk grabbed his own beer, and looked back at Zain. "Drink it, it's better than water." He said.

The man sitting next to Rahk looked at him and Zain. He felt a tingling sensation inside his body; it told him that these two were exceptionally strong fighters. He decided to stir up a conversation with the two strangers. "So," he said, taking a sip of his beer, "what are your names?"

Rahk smiled at the newcomer. "To you, it's God." He chuckled, a sarcastic smile spread across his face.

"Very funny…" the man replied.

"You look familiar." Rahk said. "Who did you say you were?"

The man grinned. In a bold voice, he told Rahk and Zain, "I am Tanna, the only man to have survived after battling with "The Juggernaut!"

Rahk seemed obviously unsatisfied. "That man Majotte?" Rahk asked Tanna. "I can kick his ass anytime I wanted to." He replied to Tanna.

"I wouldn't be too sure, 'God'," Tanna said, his face concentrated. "Majotte is a powerful foe, and is never to be taken lightly." He said, taking another drink from his beer. "Sometimes I feel like he is still after me, trying to finish me off."

Suddenly, a man grabbed Tanna by the shoulder. Tanna looked at the man, who was clearly drunk. "What do you want?" Tanna asked the man.

"Money." The man replied. "YOUR money." He said. He pulled a knife out of his left pocket, and lunged towards Tanna. Tanna sighed deeply, and yawned as the man's knife grew closer to Tanna's shoulder.

The knife made contact, then, miraculously, bounced back off. The knife spun ferociously back at the stranger, and impaled him in the arm. The drunk screamed in pain, as his blood ran down his arm. He rolled onto the floor, everyone else laughing at the man, for only a fool would try to fight someone like Tanna.

Rahk looked back at Zain. "Did you see that?" Rahk asked. "He used his energy to bounce the attack back at the man. Also, according to him, he's survived a battle with the man named Majotte."

"Exactly who is Majotte?" Zain asked Tanna. It was obvious he wouldn't know, being in the woods as long as Zain had made him unaware of the outside world.

"Majotte is an extremely powerful man, capable of things most people would believe unimaginable. He enjoys a good fight, and always wins at the end, at the expense of the loser of the battle's life." Rahk explained.

Rahk turned back towards Tanna. "So, where exactly did you come from? A modern earthling couldn't possibly do something like that." He asked.

Tanna replied, "I don't exactly know. I was sent from the planet of the Saiyan race, with a mission to destroy this planet. When I had arrived however, something came over me, I just couldn't do it." He quickly added, "But don't think I'm soft!"

Rahk laughed, "I'm sure you have proved that you are indeed not soft! So," Rahk said, "You're one of those Saiyans I've heard of?"

Tanna replied again, "Yes. There really isn't much of us left in the universe, we all sort of suddenly died out, but we can cause some severe damage to any places we go…"

Zain looked at Tanna, this time, with interest. "A Saiyan…like me." Zain thought. He looked down at his beer, which remained untouched. Ripples constantly moved around in the mug whenever something slammed down on the counter. Zain finally took a sip of his own beer. His face stretched in excitement; the beer tasted great! With greed for more, Zain gulped the entire mug down, and asked for another. His mind, however, was not used to the alcohol. In a matter of minutes, he was drunk.

"So what's your background Rahk?" Zain said thickly. Without giving Rahk any chance to reply, he added, "My mother was a Woodling, a peaceful forest race completely intoned with nature." He hiccupped as he spoke, "I never knew my father. All I know is that he was a Saiyan. That makes me half Saiyan." Zain continued, "Yep, I'm half Woodling, half Saiyan! I don't know much about my mom though, because our race was killed off." Zain began to cry loudly and out of control. The entire bar again stood silent, hearing his cries. "I'm the last of my," Zain tries to finish, "of my…" he suddenly fell off of the stool, and hit the wooden floor hard. He hiccupped one more time, then passes out on the floor.

Rahk frowned at the passed out youngster, while Tanna laughed. "Jesus Christ! Now I have to carry him, and now I am surrounded by Saiyans, no offence Tanna." Rahk picks up Zain by the arm, and puts him around his back like a small child. "So, do you know where we can rest for awhile Tanna? I don't think Zain will feel very good when he wakes up." Rahk asked, chuckling at the thought of Zain falling again.

Tanna flips a golden coin towards the bartender. "For the three beers." He mutters. The bartender nods, and the three walk outside. Tanna looks at the other two. "I have a place just outside this village, we can go there to rest." He says to Rahk.

"Good," Rahk said, "because Zain will have a hangover when he wakes up, and I don't want to hear any bitching." He chuckled, as the three began the short walk towards Tanna's house. It was then that Rahk realized that the sun had nearly set; the sky was painted orange-purple. Night had come, they needed a good rest.

Tomorrow would be a long day.


	4. The Spreading Plague

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 4: The Spreading Plague**

There was a beach ahead. What would one first think when they see the beach? They see calm sanctuary, others may see it as a place to relax and just enjoy life. The "other" people, people such as Majotte and Erutan however, see this as a dead end. Majotte sighed as he headed towards the water, full of salt, unable to drink, not that he cared, he wasn't really thirst, and neither was Erutan. They both stared blankly into the deep sea, the waves crashing in, taking bits of tiny sand, while at the same time dumping other sea animals onto the ocean.

Erutan himself was actually shocked at the sight. It wasn't simply dead turtles, or a bird that got lost at the seas. There were creatures as large as himself, ranging from creatures such as the seals, to even the giant whales and orcas of the sea. Erutan winced at the sight, he could feel the animals pain, somehow. Ever since he found his new abilities, it is as if his intunement with nature has multiplied. This doesn't necessarily mean a good thing however.

Majotte looked towards Erutan, pondered for a second, then broke the silence. "Erutan, you say you get your powers from the natural elements of the Earth right? Well, take a look at the water." he told him.

Erutan looked down into the water. Sure, at first glance it looked as though it was the natural water of the seas, but at second look, Erutan was surprised to see what was inside the water. A black mist covered the bottom of the sea Erutan felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, as if the poison burned him. He backed away from the water, only to trip on his feet and fall back, landing in the soft sand. He chuckled, but then regained his focus onto the sea. He sat up, and crossed his legs. "So," he finally said back, "what do we do now?" Erutan asked his new friend.

"We wait." Majotte said.

"Egh." Erutan groaned, he himself didn't really like the idea of sitting around and doing nothing at all. "I guess I could tell you a little about me," Erutan said, "at least the part of me that I remember, just to kill off the time."

"Go ahead and speak, but before you do, think about this: How much of that infected water do you think is killing all of those animals, even plants. Since your energy is fed from the natural elements of Earth, wouldn't this infection affect your powers?" Majotte asked.

Erutan could already see Majotte as his new sage, as a man who really thinks this kind of thing through. "Well, from what I know of, I will, but not to a large extent." Erutan replied. "You know, I wasn't born with this power, at least I don't think so." Erutan said, staring back at the water. Suddenly, he heard another snap inside his head, and more memories began to flood back into his body. "I was once a nobody. I was poor, and I was an orphan, I had nothing or noone. I wondered Earth to find someone or something to aid me. I was stranded in the desert, when I think I met this man. I couldnt see him clearly, but he had a orb in his hand, and with it, he made water appear before my very eyes. He saved me, he helped me live. After I finished the water he got a rock and chipped off a piece of the orb. He then stabbed me in the chest, and placed the piece inside the wound, and it healed instantly."

Erutan shuddered at the painful thought of this memory. "He also gave me this thing." Erutan said, lifting his arm. Upon it, lay a golden metal band that clamped around Erutan's left arm. It was of simple design: Solid gold, with an angelic wing sticking out to the left, and a devil wing stretching out to the right. In the center, a figure of a strange man stood, as if he was a statue. The man was of medium build, muscles shown around his chisled body in the band, and he wore sandals. He himself had angelic wings. Erutan spoke again, "I never asked him about it, he left before I could see which way he took off." Erutan said.

Suddenly, Erutan let out a long, loud yawn. Unknown to him, the poison had been sapping his body strength. "Well Majotte, I'm gonna...take a nap." Erutan said to Majotte. He suddenly dropped his entire body on the sandy beach, and fell into a deep sleep.

"Hm, whatever." Majotte muttered. His body suddenly shot up into the air, and just like magic, he was floating in mid-air. "You want to fall behind, go ahead, it will be up to you to catch up!" Majotte told the unconcious Erutan. Just like that, Majotte flew off into the setting sun.

The poison in the water dissapeared. Something was about to happen. Erutan suddenly jolted awake. He looked around, Majotte was gone, the ocean was still rocking to an unheard rhythm.

"I guess he went ahead." Erutan said. "I'll find him, this ocean shouldn't be too large." Erutan assured himself. With unknown certainty, Erutan imagined an immense gust of wind, and just like that, the wind blew him up into the air, and allowed him to hover, just like Majotte. "I didn't know I could do that..." Erutan said. He quickly shot up higher into the atmosphere, to get a better look at the surrounding lands, which, not to the surprise of Erutan, where nothing but uninhabited islands. There was a glimmer on one of the islands that attracted Erutan. He instantly shot off towards the island, thinking it to be Majotte to started the fire.

Erutan landed on the island, hearing nothing, but what startled Erutan, was that there was no fire. Erutan's nerves where nearly shattered when he heard a faint whisper.

"Ah, I see you are here."

Erutan turned around. There, in front of his face, stood a cloaked figure. He was a smaller man, and from the sound of his voice, extremely old. The cloak he wore was completely brown, and all that was visible was his eyes.

"I'd figure you wouldn't recognize your savior." the cloaked figure spoke.

"So you helped me in my time of need." Erutan said to the man.

"Yes, and now I need your help." the man said, sounding desperate. "There's this group of people trying to track me down, they are trying to kill me, and take away the orb that I used to save your life!" he said.

"Who are they, what are their names?"

The man cracked a smile. "I only know of one. His name is Zain..."

There was a bright flash of light, and Erutan was alone. At least until he heard a familiar voice.

"Wake up boy, I saw the whole thing." Majotte spoke to Erutan. Erutan got up, and looked up at the sky. "I tried to track down the figure, but he trapped me with some strange orb, it had incredible power." Majotte told Erutan.

"What happened?" Erutan asked.

"Like I said, he used some strange orb on me, it pulled me into the ocean with it. I managed to overpower it eventually though." Majotte said. "Well, I tried, let's go." he added.

"Majotte," Erutan said, "Do you know of anyone named Zain?"

"Yes, but I only know of him from the figure."

"I see." Erutan replied.

Majotte looked towards the ocean. "There is a village nearby on the other side of the ocean, it will take us about a day to get there." Majotte said. "Maybe they've heard of this 'Zain' character." Majotte said. He began to float in the air again, shortly followed by Erutan.

"Lets go." Erutan said. "The sooner we find Zain, the sooner we can kill him, and save the man who saved my life." Erutan told Majotte, who didn't disagree at all.

And just like that, another war had started. The earth wailed in pain as the toxins began to dig deeper into its core. The purple and black fluid seeped deeper into the roots and rocks, causing land to collapse, creating mighty tremors and earthquakes in some lands, while in others, the toxins in the air rose, causing massive storms to wipe out other civilizations.

Earth was ready to crumble beneath the warrior's feet, and now, they need to settle a score between each other...


	5. Rising Tension

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 5: Rising Tension**

The wind blew loudly outside of the clear glass window. It made a painful cry through the tiny cracks of the wooden walls. Even the air was polluted, it was as if the Earth had already died. Zain sat upright and looked around, he was in a bed, draped by a few blankets. On the floor besides the bed, lay a metal bucket, filled what a foul smelling substance. Zain's vomit disgusted himself, but he easily just blew it off.

"I must have underestimated the power of that 'beer'." Zain thought. Remembering what he had said the night before, Zain shuddered.

A knock came at the wooden door opposite of Zain, Tanna and Rahk both entered the room, full of good will and shock at the same time.

Tanna looked at Zain, impressed. "Hey, how the hell did you get up from getting drunk?" he asked, then added, "Don't you still feel sick?"

"My Woodling nature does not allow me to get sick for very long, I immediatly recover from almost any sickness." Zain explained.

"Well, don't you feel tired?" Tanna said.

Before allowing Zain to answer, Rahk threw in his voice, "I'm hungry, I'll be right back..." he said, then ran out the door.

Zain looked puzzled at Rahk, but then looked back towards Tanna. "No, I haven't slept much, all of my dreams have been nothing but nightmares."

"Well I'm a full Saiyan, and I get dead drunk. I don't necessarily get better right away." he said.

"I guess since I'm half Saiyan, that is what causes me to get sick, because none of the full Woodling children my age never got sick, not once." Zain said.

"I see." Tanna said. "So, where exactly did Rahk go? I don't have food here." Tanna questioned.

Before another second passed, Rahk came crashing comically through the clear window, holding a giant bowl in his massive arms, while the shards of glass hit the grown.

"Damnit Rahk, I had just finished putting that window up!" Tanna scolded.

Ignoring Tanna, Rahk told Zain, "I was hungry, so I...uh..borrowed some food without permission." he said. He grabbed a slab of cooked meat out of the bowl, and handed it to Zain. "Wan't some?" he asked him.

"Yes, yes I would." Zain said. "Tanna, eat. We require strength, and strength requires energy, and food is energy." Zain explained, grabbing the meat out of Rahk's hand.

Tanna grabbed a piece of fruit, and shoved the entire thing into his mouth. While still chewing, he told Zain, "I agree, we do need stre.." Tanna paused for a bit, feeling a sharp pain in his throat and stomache. He coughed hard, spitting out some fruit. "Damn! Food went down the wrong hole!" he exclaimed.

"So, what do we do know?" Rahk said to Zain, as he started eating some fruit and some more slabs of meat along with the others. The food's steam quickly shot out of the window, while the fruit's juices splashed around the floor at the mercy of the vile eating habits of two Saiyans and a Demon.

Tanna ignored Rahk and kept eating, again feeling the same sharp pain in his stomache. "I don't know, think of something!" he said rudely.

"We'll follow the wind, the wind never lies. We set out right after we eat, the Earth is beginning the crumble." Zain told the other two.

Rahk felt a strange feeling, something bad and ominous was on its way, but he didn't want to alarm the others. He shrugged it off, and watched the other two go at the food, scarfing it down.

Tanna continued to eat after Zain finally stopped, now completely ignoring the pain in his body, he didn't realize how full he was, then suddenly fell onto his back, and let out a deep sigh.

Zain looked at his companions, he hadn't slept since the Earth had reached out to him. Zain sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting for the blow of the wind, which had suddenly come to a halt.

"Guess Tanna fell asleep Zain." Rahk told him. "Time to wake him up." Rahk walked towards Tanna's ear, and bellowed, "Wake up! It's time to go!"

Without getting a response from Tanna, Zain smiles. "I know how to wake him up." he said. He began to concentrate. After a minute or two, smoke began to appear at Tanna's feet, then, in an instant, a contained fire shot out at the tips of Tanna's boots.

Rahk jumped back, then began to laugh. "I knew you had a sense of humor Zain!" he told him.

"I think being around others does that to you..." Zain added, along with a chuckle.

After seeing that Tanna had yet to react, Zain walked up to Tanna's head, letting the fire dissapear. He put the two tips of his fingers towards Tanna's thoat to feel for a pulse. Zain's eyes widened. He stood up, and turned towards Rahk.

"Rahk, Tanna's dead." Zain told him. No later had he said this, Tanna burped up a green-colored liquid, spilling it all over his wooden floor.

"Augh!" Rahk yelled in disgust. "The bastard puked all over my shoes!"

"From that, I would assume that Tanna had been poisoned by the food you had brought in." Zain told Rahk.

Rahk suddenly felt a slight bit of guilt, but shrugged it off. He grabbed Tanna's leg, and lifted him up like a toy. While examining the body, he asked Zain. "What about us? Why didn't we get poisoned and die?"

"I'm a Woodling, so I don't get sick." Zain said. "And you didn't eat much of anything, Tanna ate most of the food." Zain explained.

"So, who do you think did this?" Rahk asked.

Zain replied, "Anyone who was an enemy of Tanna."

"What about Majotte?" Rahk said, "Tanna did mention that he had the feeling that Majotte was trying to 'finish him off'".

"That's the only suspect we have, Majotte is the only person we know who could actually kill Tanna." Zain said. He stood up, and looked towards the sky. In his own bold voice, he yelled, "From this day forward, I declare all enemies of Tanna to be my own! I shall not rest until I have killed the one who did this to him!" Zain said. "I promise this to my Woodling race!"

Rahk looked at the dead body again. "That sucks too, I wish I could have had a good shot or two on him before he died." Rahk said.

Zain chuckled. "Rahk, let's burn Tanna's body, then get back on the road. The Earth is still infected, and we need to know if anyone knows the whereabouts of this Majotte." Zain finished.

The wind began to blow as Zain stepped into the outside, Rahk and the body shortly following behind him. The city was alive again, people were working everywhere, while the elders sat on stools and watched and talked among each other.

Zain spotted an elderly man, and approached him without caution. "Elder, I know that the older are wise, so, can you tell me if this man," he said, pointing towards Tanna's dead body, "had any enemies besides 'The Juggernaut'?" Zain asked.

The elder examined Tanna's grotesque remains. "No child, Majotte was the only man that was able to stand against this man. It's a shame that he finally met his end." The elder said, then turned away.

"Well, do you know of the location of this Majotte?" Rahk asked the elder.

He looked back at Rahk. "Well, news spread, a few moments ago actually, that he was spotted in this area, not to far from here." he added. The elder pointed towards the North.

Zain looked towards the North with the man's finger. The wind hit Zain from nowhere, towards the same direction. "Rahk, lets go." he said. "Thanks elder." Zain told the man, and he and Rahk began to walk down the dirt road towards the North.

"Majotte." Zain said. "I will find him, and I still need to find the reason for the infection of the earth." Zain said.

"Infection?" the elder man said, able to still hear Zain's voice. Zain walked back to the old man.

"You know of this infection?" Zain said. "Why don't you tell anyone?" Zain questioned.

"The same reason you don't. There would be mass panic, the world would just crumble faster. Better to die later than sooner." the wise man said. Zain nodded. The old man then added, "Have you heard of the mythical Earth Orb?"

"Earth Orb?" Zain repeated. "Please elder, tell me of this Orb."

"I don't know much, but myth had it that the one who finds this magical orb shall be able to control the Earth itself." the old man explained.

Zain thought for a minute. "Thanks elder." He turned back towards Rahk, "Rahk, our mission is clear now," Zain said, "Let's cremate Tanna, then be on our way." he finished.

"So the plan is to find the Earth Orb, fix the Earth itself, and kill 'The Juggernaut'?" Rahk finished, almost sounding surprised at this sudden turn of events.

"That's basically it." Zain said, as they started walking down the road again.

"This trip is starting to get interesting.." Rahk told Zain.

The sun began to rise on the new day. If Majotte was indeed in the area, then there would be no doubt that a battle would soon begin.

Zain thought about what was going to happen. he turned and looked at Rahk.

"Defeating 'The Juggernaut', sound like fun doesnt it?" he told him.


	6. Erutan the Infected

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 6: Erutan the Infected**

Water splashed around on the gravel rocks, engulfing them, then spitting the rocks back out. A giant wave suddenly crashed onto the rocks, sending a few of the smaller boulders rolling downward and into the depths. The waves then fled back into the ocean, preparing for the arrival of Majotte and Erutan on the new land.

Majotte's boots squished deep into the sand, followed by Erutan's tattered, ruined shoes. Erutan sunk into the sand about ankle deep, but he loved the feel of the sand on his skin. It felt warm, and cushioned his body, making him feel like he was walking on clouds. Majotte kept a speedy pace, trying to head into the forest nearby.

"Hm, there should be a village beyond this shrub. Erutan, hurry up." Majotte told him, while wiping off the grains of sand from his boots.

Erutan caught up to Majotte in a matter of seconds. They both looked towards the trees. The forest was incredibly thin, and there were only a few bushes. Majotte chuckled a bit as he looked on at the greenery.

"This will only take a few seconds." Majotte told Erutan. His eyes suddenly began to glow a crimson red. Suddenly, red hot beams shot out, and instantly shot a hole into the forest. Anything that the beam touched was instantly burned to ash. The forest created a "tunnel", one that Erutan and Majotte easily walked through.

"There it is." Majotte told Erutan. "The people here aren't very...friendly." Majotte said to Erutan. "Once they see me, they'll probably take off running." he added.

They entered the village quietly. The civilians were still attending to there daily duties. There was a bar towards the corner of the village, and a building on the top of a big hill. Majotte looked towards that building, and in an instant, he face turned demonic.

Majotte raised his finger towards the building, and, using his power, the building was instantly burned, and exploded. Wood shot in almost every direction, a metal bucket flew past Majotte and Erutan, some wood struck people in the back and on their arms.

"That caught their attention." Erutan spoke.

The populace looked on at the man who just destroyed the building. A woman screamed in terror, a few others ran in search of their children.

"Its The Juggernaut!" one yelled.

Erutan and Majotte walked directly towards the center of the town, while people ran in all directions just to get away from the unstoppable demon. Majotte suddenly dissapeared into the air. Erutan looked around for him. He was nowhere to be seen, not a trace left behind.

"That's fast." Erutan muttered. He heard an elder's cries, and turned around. Majotte was holding the elder by his bald head. Majotte stared into the elder's eyes, concentrating on him.

"Excuse me sir," Majotte said in a menacing voice, "do you know of a man named Zain, and if he had passed by here?"

The elder answered back almost immediatly, not wanting to die at the hands of The Juggernaut. "Y-y-yes. A-as a matter of fact," the man paused, then continued, "he was here jut yesterday, with another strange character, and the corpse of Tanna." he finished.

Majotte suddenly made a smile that spread across his entire face. A smile of victory. "So, he finally died. It's about time." Majotte said.

The old man continued, "They were looking for you, Juggernaut." the man said in a vile voice full of hated for Majotte.

Majotte raised his arms towards the man. "Where can I find Zain?" he roared.

The elder winced at Majotte's voice. "Our town is a very private one. We don't share most of our secrets. Though there were rumors that they headed directly for the next town ahead. They went North." the elder explained.

"Thanks old man," Majotte said, lowering the man down, with one hand on the elder's shoulder, "you've done more than you needed to." Majotte added. He patted the man's shoulder, and began to walk away. "Erutan, follow me." he said. He looked back towards the man. "Although I do have respect for my elders, your time has come." Majotte thought. As he and Erutan began to walk away, the elder's shoulder suddenly gave in. The elder's shoulder melted clean off of his body, his blood seeping onto the ground, bubbling from the heat of the poison. The man then fell on his knees, then smashed his face into the floor, dying almost instantly.

While on their way to the next town, Erutan looked up at Majotte. "Majotte," Erutan asked, "who is Tanna?"

"He is just a man I knew. It's nothing really important, we just happened to grow up in the same," Majotte thought for awhile, looking for the right words, "how you say it, neck of the woods." he replied. "I think we should rest up when we reach the next village, do you agree?"

"Yes." Erutan quickly responded. They continued on, for how many hours, who knows?

They finally arrived, the village was already quieting due to the nightfall. Barely any houses had any lights. This village was more poor thant he last. Erutan looked towards the area, then spotted a forest nearby.

"Majotte, I don't really like this place, I'm going into the woods for the night." he told Majotte. He quickly darted off towards the forest. He looked at the trees and grass pass him by as he ran for the tallest tree he could find. He stopped, gazing at a nice tree. It was large, and had many limbs to sleep on. "A nice spot for a nap." Erutan thought to himself. He jumped into the tree, and began to stare as the moon rose, and the sun set. Stars started to shine in the dark sky. Erutan smiled at the sight. He suddenly felt a bright light hit his eyes. He looked down at the source. The moonlight reflected off of Erutan's golden band, the wings shined in the light as a glorious shape. Erutan pondered on what the band truly was.

"I wonder what would happen if I took this off." Erutan said. He reached for his band, and, without much effort, unbuckled it from his wrist. Nothing happened.

Erutan looked at the band in disgust. "So this was on my wrist for nothing..." Suddenly, Erutan's voice was stopped by a feeling inside of his stomache. His bodies energy rushed and flowed throughout his being. "What's happening to me?" Erutan wondered. He flew into the sky like a rocket, then paused in mid-air. His mind felt free, as if he could do anything that he pleased.

Erutan smiled, he formed a bubble of water in mid-air. He flattened it to resemble a mirror. He looked at his new body, which wasn't much of an improvement over his old one, but it was a more fierce looking being. His hair stood straight up, glowing a bright red color, his muscles increased in mass, and his pupils also turned red. His clothes were replaced by a dark black shirt, black pants, and a black trenchcoat, along with some black boots.

"I feel fantastic!" Erutan shouted, his voice now darker, echoing across the forest. A few trees instantly melted to the ground from his voice, and a few animals suddenly dropped dead.

Another light source blinded Erutan from his back. He turned around, and a floating figure of an old man in a cloak shown through the light.

"It's you again." Erutan said to the old man who saved his life.

"Yes, and you're a fool.." the old man said. "You should have never taken off the band."

"You're the fool old man." Erutan said. "And now you die!" he shouted. Flames began to sprout from Erutan's fingers, and formed themselves into a small fireball. He threw it fiercly towards the old man, who simply chuckled at the effort.

The old man pulled out a orb, a fiery red orb. The fire then stopped, turned around fast, and shot back at Erutan. It struck him right in the face, sending him back down towards the Earth.

"How the fuck did he do that?" Erutan said. He hit the ground hard, causing the trees the tremble. His body reverted back to normal, his mind on the verge of collapse. He felt the old man's presence next to his body.

Suddenly, he heard the old man whisper, "Zain is in the village, kill him now!" Then, in a flash, the old man vanished.

Erutan smiled before falling asleep. "Tommorow, the fight will begin."


	7. The First Encounter

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 7: The First Encounter**

A controlled fire burned in the corner of a large room. The smoke from the fire was sent out into the chiimney, which released it back into the wild. There wasn't much in the room. There were a few chairs and a table, all made of wood and polished to perfection, a glass window like that of Tanna's destroyed house, and a smaller table, kind of like a table you would see someone doing paper work on.

Inside this hotel room, Rahk and Zain sat, staring into the fire, both in deep thought. Before any conflict had even begun, they'd already lost one valuable member of the team. His remains lie next to the fire, in a small blue jar. The jar had smooth edges, and a single word was painted on the front of it: Survivor.

Rahk's head turned towards Zain, and his voice broke the eerie silence in the room. "Zain, I don't believe in the old man's story, the one about the 'Earth Orb'. It sounds like a bunch of shit, but then again, after seen everything that has happened, I don't know what to think anymore." Rahk said. He made his way to the window, passed Zain, who was still staring at the fire. He looked outside and into the forest beyond the village borders. He turned his head again, he could see the path that lie ahead, and the path they had come from.

A chill ran down Rahk's spine when he looked onto the second path. A man in a dark brown cloak appeared in front of a building opposite to the hotel they rested in. He appeared to be holding a dark green orb inhis hands. It flashed and shined, and most of all, it dazzled Rahk and his eyesight, as if it was dancing. No sooner did Rahk spot the old man did his image suddenly vanish from the building. Rahk's eyebrow shot up.

"What the hell was that?" he questioned aloud.

"What was what?" Zain questioned back, staring at Rahk with a strange look, as if Rahk was ready to crack at any second.

"There was a man leaning on the building over there," Rahk pointed his finger out the window, "he had a green ball in his hand. I think it might be the orb."

"Green orb." Zain muttered. "Maybe the Earth Orb? But," he added, "no one was there. Maybe you're seeing events that happened in the past. Maybe it's because you are an Angelic Demon?" Zain wondered. He looked outside the window, the wind was blowing again. It was almost time to set out on the road again. The sun was beginning to set as well, they needed to get out of town and towards the next as soon as possible. Zain turned around, and prepared to leave.

"Wait, Zain." Rahk said. "How is it that Tanna died? Regardless of how little I ate, I still ate. The poison should have gotten to me too." Rahk stopped for a moment, then begun again, "Maybe it wasn't poisoned food, maybe it was just," we paused again, "nature's will?"

Zain turned back towards Rahk, a bit irritated that this wouild come up again so soon. "It wasn't nature's will, someone was controlling her against her will, so he could accomplish his own goals." Zain explained. "It sickens me to believe people like this exist."

Rahk stepped forward, towards Zain a little bit. The fire was still cackling away at the wood it burned on, smoke still shooting out of the chimney. "Sorry, I'm new to this whole 'caring for nature' thing." Rahk walked up to a chair, and sat down, not ready to leave yet. "I don't want to get fully involved in something like this with a person I rarely know about Zain." he said. "Tell me about yourself. Your childhood, where you grew up, where are your parents?" Rahk asked.

Zain looked outside the window again. The sun was now gone, the town was in complete darkness. Clouds blocked out the moon's light, making it impossible to travel by walking. "Forget it, we'll start again tommorow." Zain told himself. He turned towards Rahk. "I guess so, besides, it's dark. We need a way to pass the time." Zain said, then began his own little story:

"I lived in a village of Woodlings, the only village we had. I was usually shunnged by the other Woodling children, because I was Half Saiyan. When I was about seven," Zain paused, having trouble trying to remember, "there was a mysterious attack upon my village. The Woodlings were a peaceful race, so they stood absolutely no chance." Zain said. He added, "They were strange looking. They were completely shrouded in black, their skin matched the blackness of their clothing, and they were well armed and trained. Since I however, was Half Saiyan, I had the natural impulse to fight, just like all other Saiyans. With that impulse, I managed to survive. I ran into the woods afterward and hid there for the night." Zain again fell silent for a moment, then continued, "My village was destroyed when I returned. I had no other place to go to, so I lived within the forest for eight full years.

Rahk listened in silence. "I see." he said. "I wish I could remember where I was from, besides not of this planet." he added. "It's getting late, we should prepare for tommorow, we need to set out early to stop this infection of the Earth." Rahk said with a recovered spirit.

"Go ahead and rest Rahk, I'll be here thinking." Zain told Rahk. Rahk stretched himself out, then relaxed on the chair, not a thing on his mind at all. Zain began to concentrate on his mind. His meditations always gave him hints on what was going to happen in the near future. Not the exact events, but very accurate non-the-less. Zain opened his eyes inside his mind, he was surrounded by the dark of the night. Suddenly, within his vision, an old man in a dark brown coat appeared.

The man was angry at Zain, and yelled to Zain's thoughts, "You will never take it away from me," he rasped, "It is mine! This power is mine! I knew you Woodlings would cause me trouble!" the old man then grinned and let out a faint chuckle as his body begant o dissapear.

"That is why I hired a group to kill you both. Your life will be over all too soon." the old man cackled.

Zain jerked his head straight up and out of his meditative state. "Rahk," Zain said grimly, "We're gonna have some company..." Zain said. He pulled his sword out of it's protective sheath, and begun to wait in utter silence.

No more than a few yards away from the outside of the hotel, a loud explosion was heard. Wood from a nearby cabin shot out in every direction, fire erupting from the inside of the house. A tall figure began to walk out from the fire, holding what appeared to be a dead body of a muscular man in his massive hand. He walked out of the house peacefully, as if nothing had happened. He threw the corpse fifty feet away, slamming into a window of a nearby house, screams piercing the night from the inhabitants of the village.

"Bastard." Majotte murmured. "I told you to let me in to rest."

Suddenly, Majotte felt an energy signal. The power from it, caused Majotte's body to tremble with anxiousness. "They're here, I know it!" Majotte shouted. He shot into the air, looking at every house, inspecting each one carefully. "There." Majotte said, staring right at a nearby hotel. He shot back towards the ground, and broke the door down to the entrance of the hotel lobby.

Erutan's head shot straight up. He stared at the night sky, it suddenly grew darker and more menacing.

"Was that a dream?" Erutan questioned. He looked towards the village, only to see a fire burning through some local houses. "Damnit Majotte! You better not have started already!" he shouted. He dashed towards the village, past the trees that he had recently passed to find his 'nap tree', and through the shrubs, and back onto the dirt road that entered the city. Majotte was easily visible, even from where Erutan stood. Erutan shot towards Majotte again, and straight into the hotel lobby at Majotte's side.

"It's about time." Majotte told Erutan. "Now." Majotte began to approach the staircase towards his enemies room when a man stood in front of him.

The man must've been the keeper of the hotel. Majotte laughed, thinking that a man of his stature could even stop Majotte. The man was fat, short, balding, and was frightened that he actually blocked the path of The Juggernaut. "I'm sorry sir, but you need to pay to enter the rooms." the man said, his voice tremlbing in fear.

"Here's your money." Majotte said, smiling. His giant hand quickly shot across the man's face, making a loud slap sound that shattered the main lobby windows. The man's head shot straight back, breaking his neck, his entire spine for that matter, instantly. The man's body didn't even move. It stood for maybe five seconds, then fell onto its back, causing the face to smash into the ground.

"Erutan, let's go." Majotte told Erutan.

"It's about time we found them." Erutan said.

This was it, the battle was about to begin...


	8. Unwelcome Greetings

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 8: Unwelcome Greetings**

The loud knocking upon the wooden hotel room door caused Zain and Rahk to merely jump up out of their chairs. The fire that they had been staring at seemed to dance in the fireplace. It was turning a brighter yellow, the orange almost completely dissapearing. Majotte waited impatiently at the door, his silence beginning to be pierced by his growls.

Erutan had just finished catching up to Majotte, after staring at the dead man's corpse, which began to bleed from the mouth.

"Psst, Majotte," Erutan whispered, "Are you sure that this is the room that Zain is in?" he asked.

"Positive. This power I feel, it is much more than that of an average human being." Majotte said. "And even if it isn't him, then we'll keep looking." Majotte finished, as if it didn't bother him if he was wrong. Erutan on the other hand, was anxious, he wanted to find Zain as soon as possible.

"Whether it is him or not," Erutan begun, "the person to open the door is going to get a big surprise." Erutan put both of his hands in front of his body. He rested his right hand on his left arm, and extended his left hand as wide as possible. He began to think about the sheer power of heat, and the icy sting of ice, and within moments, his hand was glowing. A compact ball of energy rested near his left hand, floating about half a foot away from it. The ball glowed, and sparks of fire shot out from it on one half. The other half sported a very cold feel, even at a distance.

"Good idea." Majotte muttered. His eyes again began to glow red, his concentration focused in the middle of the door, waiting for any movement. The crimson glow in his eyes vanished, and were replaced by red glowing pupils. The power he and Erutan had was already enough to make a giant sized crater where the hotel would have been placed. "Erutan, make sure to aim straight." Majotte told Erutan, just in case there was a missed shot.

Rahk and Zain stared at the door. Zain felt that there was something on the other side of it, but he wasn't sure exactly of what it was. Rahk however, was joyous that something was about to happen.

"It's about time!" Rahk told Zain. "It is good. Ha ha, I've been waiting for a good fight!" Rahk added. Rahk walked closer to the door, his grin getting wider. His angelic wings began to flap to his exitement.

"Rahk, be careful, we don't know what could be on the other side just yet." Zain said.

"No problem Zain, what's the worst that could happen?" Rahk replied. His fist stretched back, preparing to blow the door down.

Zain suddenly felt it. He felt large sums of energy building on the opposite side of the door. His heart skipped a beat, his adrenaline suddenly released, he yelled towards Rahk, "Wait, don't open that door!"

It was too late. No sooner did the door get smashed into pieces by Rahk's blow, did two energy blasts come shooting into the little room, carrying Rahk with them. Rahk didn't even grunt when he collided with the side of the room. The beams suddenly exploded, causing half of the room to explode immediately. Zain jumped towards Rahk to grab him from the flames. Rahk was busy dusting himself off within the fire. The fire spread around him, creating a circle. The flames began to cover the entire room at an incredibly fast pace.

"Out the window!" Zain yelled towards Rahk.

"Screw that!" Rahk yelled back. His fist began to glow a dark purple color, then he leaped forward and punched the wall to the room down. It broke with ease, falling onto the bottom floor of the hotel. He and Zain then jumped from the hotel onto the grass below, and without warning, the entire building exploded, causing nearby houses and other structures to catch some flames and begin burning down.

"That was easy." Majotte said, staring at the flames from what remained of the hotel. Erutan stood by his side, staring at the building closely.

"They are not dead yet." Erutan said. He then swept his hand across his body, and a large gust of wind blew the fire out, along with some wooden remains and ashes. Rahk and Zain stood on the other side, staring back at the duo opposite to them. Erutan smiled, then looked at the other two.

"You must be Zain." Erutan told Zain, pointing towards him dramatically. "You both are the ones trying to steal the old man's special orb. You won't get away with this!" he yelled across the field towards them. Erutan clenched both of his hands together, then shot them forward, sending a fiery blast of heat towards Rahk and Zain. The wave of energy melting whatever it came near it without touching it.

The attack came hurling towards Zain. His hands reached towards his back. Light shined out from the back of his green tattered shirt. The light began to shape what appeared to be a sheath to a weapon. The light then dissapeared, showing the brown sheath and a handle to what appeared to be Zain's weapon. His hand's clutched the handle, and he pulled out the shining sword from his sheath. The metal shined in the moonlight when it was brought upward. Zain lifted the sword high above his head, then brought it back down swiftly and at an angle. The sword and the heat attack collided, making a bright light shoot out from the sword, creating sparks. The heat wave shot off into the sky and fizzled out.

Rahk stared at Zain. "Wait, since when did you own a sword?" he asked Zain.

"Since my birth. It is a sword that boosts my elemental abilities, and allows me to add my power into the sword itself." Zain explained. He then stared back towards Erutan. "Since when was the Earth Orb the old man's possesion? The old man is corrupted with power, and must be disarmed!" Zain shouted. He quickly dashed towards Erutan and Majotte. He leaped from the ground and into the sky, clear over the hotel remains. The moon shined brightly behind him as he came swooping down onto Erutan.

Erutan reacted quickly by firing another gust of wind, this time towards Zain. The wind hit Zain's entire body, sending him sailing backwards. Zain regained control of his body in mid-air, then gracefully landed back on his feet.

"If you both are working for the old man, than you are obviously a threat to the Earth as well!" Zain shouted. He dashed towards Erutan again, this time holding the sword in one hand, and behind his back. The other hand shot towards Erutan, and fired off a small ball of energy towards Erutan.

Majotte's body began to fade away. It completely dissapeared, leaving behind a blur that sped off towards Rahk. Rahk braced himself by covering hid body with his large arms. Majotte thrusted a punch towards Rahk's protected body. The collision caused a bone shattering shockwave which tore open the ground underneath the fighter's feet.

Rahk growled and threw his arms towards his sides. His hands suddenly transformed into demonic claws. Rahk leaped forward and slashed towards Majotte. The attack bounced off of Majotte's body, causing him to stumble back a few feet. Majotte growled, and began to gather up power from deep in his body. The grass and dirt began to spiral up into the air, along with Majotte's hair, which shot straight up.

"Let's Continue." Majotte said, running towards Rahk. He then reached forward and shot out a punch towards Rahk's neck, while a terrified village watched in horror.

Meanwhile, Erutan jumped out of the way of the energy ball Zain had unleashed upon him, only for it to blow up a building right behind him. Erutan gasped and looked on at Zain, he was no more than inches from his face. The sword came swooping down upon Erutan, who attemtped to block it. The threw his hands towards it, then in an instant, a wall of rock appeared. It was too late however. The rock wall was not strong enough to keep the blade out. The blade shot towards Erutan's face, and scraped his right cheek, and then finished by getting stuck in the ground next to Erutan. Blood began to drip from Erutan's cheek and onto the floor. Erutan chuckled as he jumped backward. He kicked the rock towards Zain's face. The rock shot upward, along with Zain's sword, and hit him in the forhead, causing Zain to shoot backwards, but again, land on his feet.

"He's going to be tougher than I thought." Erutan muttered. Without hesitation, Erutan threw off the band once again, and awaited the transformation. It came, much more quickly this time through, instantly transforming his hair and pupils red. Another handful of houses combust into flames at the sight of Erutan's change. His power shot up to incredible lengths. He stared at Zain, who stared right back, ready for anything.

Suddenly, he felt a pain on his back. The pain grew larger, and he was sent flying. He turned around to see Majotte, who stopped attacking Rahk, and came for himself. Zain wrapped his arms around his body, which shot through some nearby trees. Zain began to concentrate, when suddenly some vines shot out from the ground ahead of him, and cushioned his impact.

"Why is it that your powers are drawn from the surrounding elements? The old man clearly wants to destroy and rot this world." Zain asked Erutan. He turned towards Rahk, who seemed irritated that Majotte attacked Zain with a sucker punch to the back.

"Zain, we need to get the hell out of here!" Rahk yelled.

"That is what I was thinking!" Zain shouted across the field and back towards Rahk, not caring that Majotte and Erutan heard. He quickly placed his sword back in its sheath, and stretched his hands towards Erutan and Majotte. He fired off a handful of energy balls which shot towards the ground. The energy exploded on impact, smoke instantly rising and blocking Majotte and Erutan's view.

"Damnit!" Erutan shouted, coughing from the smoke along with Majotte.

Zain and Rahk then shot up into the air, and flew off into the distance at an incredible speed. The clouds in the sky began to slowly close in on the village, hopefully making it harder for Majotte and Erutan to follow.


	9. Brief Intermission

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 9: Brief Intermission**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Majotte shouted in fustration. The thick smoke had already begun to sink away into the late night sky, but Zain and Rahk had already escaped. It would be impossible to know exactly where they went, unless they thought of something, and very quick.

Majotte shot into the sky, much higher than the midnight clouds. Unaware of where the two cowards had flee, he began to raised his hands and spin in every direction. His hands began to glow yellow, then small energy beams shot out of each hand. The rapid fire attack crashed into any random spot Majotte shot at. Majotte shot everywhere, for a long time as well. Erutan paced on the ground directly below Majotte, trying to find a way to figure out where Zain had run off to.

After three more minutes of blasting away at the nothingness in the sky, Majotte finally decided that it was no use, that he was simply wasting energy. He began to float back down to the ground in a hurry. He landed roughly right next to Erutan. The ground beneath Erutan's feet trembled at the landing.

"Come on Erutan, let's find them." Majotte called out to Erutan.

Erutan's hair was still shot up, spiking a powerful red color, electricity was occasionally cackling around his body. "I did manage to see where they last where before they flew off." Erutan said. He pointed towards the thickening clouds towards the South. "They went that way." Erutan finished. He and Majotte levitated into the air once again, and begun the hunt for Zain and Rahk.

Zain's heart raced as he and Rahk shot back towards the ground. He had never been so close to a battle like that before, and he knew that the rush he felt during the fight would come again. He looked towards the thick forest that lay ahead of Rahk and himself.

"Rahk, come. This way to the forest." Zain said. The forest truly was thick, the density of the forest made it almost impossible to walk through, but this didn't stop Zain. Zain walked closer and closer to the trees and shrubs. He stared at the forest for a few moments, then, in an instant, the greenery spread apart, and created a stone pathway that lead deep into the forest. As soon as Zain and Rahk passed, the opening snapped shut with a loud clap.

"This is the way to the ruins that were once the Woodling's home." Zain said. "The trees are almost impossible to move, unless you're a Woodling. We can buy some time here." Zain added.

"Well.." Majotte said to Erutan. "I want them to know, that we mean business before we go look for them." he said. He shot back up into the clouds above Erutan, unable to spot. He smiled, and begun to roar. His muscles began to increase in mass, and his body began to shake with overwhelming power. The clouds began to clear the sky as they swirled around Majotte's being. The clouds then suddenly paused, then a light burst through. A golden figure floated where Majotte was last seen. Majotte's hair was golden, and a shiny yellow aura surrounded his body. He levitated back down to Erutan's level, and looked back at the direction they were meant to go.

"I think I forgot to mention," Majotte said, "That I am a Saiyan." He chuckled, and shot off towards the direction. His swift movement caused the remainder of the clouds to split, and a sonic boom was heard throughout the night sky. Erutan paused at the sheer speed Majotte had aquired in this new stage. He shot off in the direction too, and began to look for Zain.

"Erutan, come, I think I feel them." Majotte shouted. Erutan stopped in mid-flight, and looked around. Sure enough, Majotte was right below him, staring at a thick green forest. "I can feel them, they are in there." Majotte said. He began to walked towards the trees. He grabbed two nearby trees that blocked the path, and tried to rip them from their roots.

Surprisingly, he was unable to do so. Majotte was amazed at how something as simple as a tree stopped him. He was unable to break through the forest. "How did they get in there?" Majotte questioned. "It doesn't matter, I still sense their power." Majotte added. "If they decide to fly off, I'll feel it. What do you say we camp by Erutan?" Majotte asked.

Erutan smirked. "Sure, maybe we'll wait for a bit."

Rahk followed Zain into the ruins. The place was a wreck. Many buildings still stood, but they were rotting. The stones thaat held the walls together were decomposing. It wouldn't take time much longer to destroy the remains.

"You alright Zain?" Rahk asked.

"I'm fine Rahk. This place just brings back memories." Zain said. Zain began to walk towards a single building in the back of the village. It was covered in vines and greenery that held it together along with the stone. "This way." Zain told Rahk.

Rahk followed Zain towards the building. He looked towards Zain with a grin. "This is your house, isn't it?" he asked Zain.

"Yes it was." Zain replied. They entered the building. It had no door, it was just an opening. The ground was covered in toys. One in peculiar looked just like Zain. Zain stared at the doll, and bent down to pick it up. He held it firmly in his arms, and felt the fine sewing that contained the doll's innards. "Mother made this for me." Zain said. "We must meet her."

Rahk looked confused. As they walked down towards a starcase into a basement, Rahk asked, "Wait, didn't you say that the Woodling raced was wiped out?"

"Yes, it was." Zain said. Once they entered the basement, there stood a grave in the middle of the room. A large stone lay on top of moved soil, and engraved in the stone, was the words: "Gwenalin, Mother and beloved Daughter. A Gem among the Woodlings." Zain knelt down next to the casket. On the side, a picture was engraved. The picture displayed a creature with eight wings, and a powerful looking body. Zain began to pray to the creature, and towards the grave.

Rahk watched on in silence. "I'm uh...sorry for your loss Zain." Rahk said. Zain stood up, still staring at the grave. Rahk walked towards the steps, and sat on them. He rested his head in his massive hands. He decided to change the subject. "Zain, did you notice that boy that was helping Majotte?" he asked. "Didn't you feel his power when he took off that golden band? It rocketed. Any idea's why?"

"He has a piece of the Earth Orb in him I suppose. I felt a weird energy when he took off the band. I guess the band contains the power of the orb when worn."

Rahk sat in silence, then a loud roar echoed across the sky above. It was loud enough that it bounced off of the walls of the room. Rahk laughed.

"What the hell was that?" Zain told Rahk.

"My stomache!" Rahk shouted back. "I guess we should get something to eat, we haven't really eaten since Tanna's house, and we are going to need it for the fight." Rahk explained. "You know this house more than me, so lead me to food." he laughed.

Erutan concentrated on the forest. He threw his arms towards the trees. They vibrated in place, then completely stopped. He was surprised. "How can those simple trees resist my powers?" Erutan thought. "I don't think my powers can break through." Erutan said. He looked towards Majotte. He sat on the dirt next to Majotte, and stared at the forest. He grabbed his golden band, and snapped it back on. His hair suddenly flopped back down and pointed forward, and returned to its black color. "It's a shame, I really wanted to show Zain my power."

Majotte turned towards Erutan. "Come to think of it, since when had you been able to do that? You took it off earlier too, and I felt a large power erupt from it." Majotte said.

"I really down know." Erutan said. "All I know is that it contains the power of the orb shard that the old man had given me. He said not to remove it unless I intended to kill." Erutan said. "It makes me much stronger, and my powers of the elements increase." Erutan said. "Majotte, would you be surprised that I could destroy the world?" he asked.

"Why no, it's only natural for a person who can control the Earth." Majotte said. "I'm going to get some rest, we'll start again later tonight." Majotte said. He crossed his legs, and rested his arms on his sides. His body floated in the air, and in an instant, Majotte froze, and a small barrier surrounded him.

"Okay Majotte." Erutan said. "Although I don't really need the sleep," Erutan yawned, "It would be nice to have some extra energy." He fell flat on his back, and stared up at the night sky. His mind went blank, and he fell into another deep sleep.


	10. Ascension

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 10: Ascension**

"Come to think of it, I'm starting to get hungry as well. There's some food in the pantry." Zain told Rahk. He and Rahk began to walk back up the stairs and into the kitchen. Mold and vines were growing rapidly inside of the small room. There was nothing more than a mere box on a shelf, and a small table that sat no more than two. Zain opened the small box to reveal a loaf of bread.

"That's not much..." Rahk said, hoping there would be more food than just a simple loaf of bread.

"Unfortunately no Rahk. This is the last of my rations." Zain said. He reached to grab the bread from the box. He clutched the bread in his hands, but when he had grabbed onto it, he knocked the small box over. It tumbled towards the floor, making a small click on impact. The box turned over to reveal a pressed button. Zain looked at the button, perplexed.

Suddenly, the wall on the edge of the room shot open. It revealed a hidden hallway that lead back down to what appeared to be another basement level.

"That was never there before..." Zain said. "Rahk, come one." he added.

"Man, that scared the hell outta me Zain." Rahk said. He grabbed the bread from Zain's hand, and bit a large piece of bread off of the loaf. He and Zain began to walk down the passage, the light from the kitchen allowing them to see into the hall. "So, you say it's never been here?" Rahk asked.

"That, or I was never shown." Zain replied. A staircase led down towards a dark chamber at a dead end. Zain walked up to the wall. There were scribbles engraved on the stone that held the wall together. Zain analyzed the language. "It's Woodling writing." Zain had told Rahk. "It reads:

A One shall come among us,

He shall be like us,

But not be one of us.

He will be peaceful,

But violent,

He will save the World in despair,

Or he will damn it.

What has been taken from him,

must be returned,

So he may obtain the power,

To defeat the evil."

Zain re-read the scribbles several more times, trying to understand what the scribbles meant. He looked more towards the darker side of the text. A picture revealed itself, along with a giant hole. The picture showed a man placing his hand towards the hole. Zain looked back at Rahk, not knowing what to do.

"Should I do it Rahk?" he asked.

"No," Rahk said, "Let me do it. If it is a trap, then I will be the one to take the attack." Before he put his hand inside the hole, he turned back to Zain. "First, what do you take of this prophecy?"

"I'm not sure Rahk."

"I see." Rahk stepped back towards the hole. Without second thoughts, he placed his hand inside the hole. He waited to feel his hand melt, or for something inside to rip it off. He was relieved when all was silent. Nothing had happened.

"Rahk, I think I have to do it." Zain told him. Rahk slowly stepped away from the stone as Zain edged closer to it. He slowly began to move his hand closer to the hole. Suddenly, an unknown energy forced sucked his hand into the hole. His entire arms was submerged in the hole. Zain started to panic and scream, trying to pull his arm back out. Rahk grabbed Zain by the shoulders, and tried to pry him free, but slipped, and flew back towards the stairs, crashing hard.

An enourmous surge of energy rushed through Zain's body. Electricity was clearly visible shooting throughout his body. Zain gasped, finally understanding why his power felt so low all of the time.

"This power," Zain said, "it was taken from me when I was little." Zains said. Now it was being delivered back to him. His red hair suddenly shot straight up, and turned gold. He was now a Super Saiyan. This however, wasn't enough. His hair began to shoot higher into the air. He had already ascended again. His hair suddenly flooded down towards his waist and around his shoulders, covering his sword and sheath. His power finally exploded. He had reached Super Saiyan power and beyond.

"Ah, I see now. Your family didn't want you to have all that power at birth, so they held it down here." Rahk said to Zain, whose golden aura and blue electricity began to knock some fragments of rock to fall. "Good timing too. Now I think we should rest up." Rahk added. "We need to finish the fight with Majotte and that boy.

Zain turned back towards Rahk. "Yes, you're right." he said, powering down. His hair returned to its normal, red stature. "After Erutan and Majotte, we need to worry about the old man, and the Earth itself." he said. As they began to walk back up the stairs, and into the main hallway towards the bedrooms, Zain thought.

"I do feel bad." Zain said. "That I have to kill the boy. He seems to be brainwashed by the old man." Zain then looked the other way, and began to walk into his old room when he was a child. In the room was nothing, except a window, a few more scattered toys, and a bed. "On the other hand," Zain told Rahk before laying down to sleep, "Majotte will die for what he did to Tanna."

Erutan entered a dream. He was running towards a foggy white mist that lay just ahead of him. A figure stood in the mist, chuckling. The figure faced towards Erutan and smiled.

"Try to keep up Erutan, you don't want to be left behind don't you?" he asked Erutan.

Erutan entered the mist. The man slowly began to walk backwards. Erutan waved his hands towards the mist. Suddenly, it liquified into water, and fell towards the apparent floor. Puddles instantly formed from the water, and then dried up instantly. Erutan stared at the figure, when finally the figure's features emerged.

"Good job Erutan." Majotte said.

"Majotte? What are you doing here?" Erutan asked him.

"I can't stand sitting around doing nothing."

"What are you talking about?"

"Simple, I've invaded your dreams."

"What?" Erutan said. "You can do that?"

"Yes. I came here to see how strong you truly are." Majotte explained to Erutan.

"Oh, so you want to fight?"

"Yes." Majotte spoke. He went into a battle pose, and gestured Erutan to attack him.

"Don't worry, going all-out in this dream won't effect your bodies strength at all." Majotte assured him.

Erutan smiled. "In that case." he said. He suddenly flashed red. His hair shot up, and his pupils began to glow a crimson color.

"GO!" Majotte yelled towards Erutan.

Erutan dashed towards Majotte using the wind to speed him up further. He flew up to Majotte's face, and stopped in mid-flight. He dropped towards the floor, and tried to trip Majotte.

Majotte lept into the air to dodge the attack. He jumped back, and jumped towards Erutan, throwing a regular old punch towards Erutan's face. The blow landed directly on Erutan's cheek, causing him to spin around. Majotte the delivered a kick towards Erutan's mid-section, sending him flying back. Erutan threw his hands to his sides, and suddenly two ice pillars shot out from the ground. He grabbed the icicles to stop himself, then landed hard on the floor.

Erutan concentrated his energy towards his hands. It began to glow blue and purple. He threw it towards Majotte, who braced for the impact. The attack fell short of Majotte, landing about five feet in front of him. Majotte chuckled, but then gasped when he felt a force pull him into the attack. Gravity began to work against him, sucking him into the ground harder, causing him to trip. Before he could hit the ground, Erutan's foot crashed deep into his stomache. Majotte flew backwards, and landed on his back.

Majotte shot back up. He paused for a second to laugh, then fired a beam towards Erutan. The preemtive strike hit Erutan hard on the chin, knocking him off of his feet. Majotte charge towards Erutan to hit him with his fist again, only for a wall of rock to appear in front of him. Majotte easily smashed the wall into pieces, and proceed to attack Erutan.

Erutan smiled, quickly and swiftly, the pebbles began to hit Majotte in the face, stopping him in his tracks. Erutan then created a frozen puddle of ice beneath Majotte's feet, causing him to slip. Again, Majotte felt Erutan's foot ram into his body, this time in the back. Majotte flew up into the air, but then suddenly paused. He threw his hands forward and fired a shockwave towards Erutan. The attack caught Erutan offguard, sending him flying towards the ground again, crashing hard.

"You really are strong." Majotte said to Erutan. "But the sun is going to rise soon, we need to prepare for our attack on Zain and that demon friend of his." Majotte said.

Erutan walked up to Majotte, who did the same to him. "Okay Majotte, good fight." he said. Majotte raised his hands towards Erutan. Erutan looked at Majotte, and raised his hand towards Majotte's hand. They gave each other a handshake, then both were suddenly blinded by a bright light.

Erutan suddenly woke up, looking around at the forest. Majotte was already awake, staring at the forest.

"Time to attack." Majotte told Erutan.


	11. The Final Battle Begins

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 11: The Final Battle Begins**

The forest began to glimmer with new life as the sun rose. Small rodents scampered around for food and shelter, birds began to take flight , and fish became more active.

"Well, I guess now that I've already shown it, there is no more reason to hide it." Majotte told Erutan as he approached the thick forest that led to the Woodling Ruins. Within a blink of an eye, Majotte's power shot up. His hair stood on end, and began to glow gold again. He was a Super Saiyan once more. "Nothing happened all night," Majotte told Erutan. "I would have felt it while I was resting." He began to concentrate on the forest, looking for Zain. "I still feel their presence, they must still be in the forest." Majotte added. He stretched his arm toward the forest.

"We'll have to do something about that." Majotte said. A ball of cencentrated energy began to form inside of his palm. It began to float away from Majotte, then paused. Majotte's body began to glow brighter, and the ball grew larger. Finally, the ball shot towards the forest trees. The ball quickly split into many smaller energy attacks, and struck the tree roots that blocked the forest from intruders. The trees shot to the sides, making a hole that allowed them entrance.

"Erutan, go! Now's our chance!" Majotte said. Both Erutan and Majotte made a leap towards the entrance. The trees began to close back up before Majotte could get in. Majotte shot another wave of energy toward the trees, and again they opened. His body made it through, then the trees snapped shut. The noise of the trees echoed throughout the air, causing a few birds to fly into the air.

Zain gasped, trying to take in as much air as possible. His heart had stopped for a second, he began to feel two familiar energy signatures come closer to the village.

"Rahk, get up, they're here!" Zain shouted inside of his small house. Rahk jumped up from bed, falling over to the side. Zain dashed towards the entrace to the ruins, Rahk following behind shortly afterward. He stared at the opening for only a few moments. Two shadows began to grow in size from the entrance, until Erutan and Majotte finally arrived.

"Wow, I've never seeing buildings like these before." Erutan said, looking around at he rotting village. He stared towards Zain and Rahk. "Zain, we finish it here." Erutan said. His fist began to pulse ith electricity.

The fight had finally begun.

Erutan jumped high into the air above Zain, and prepared to attack him with the energy stored in his fist. Rahk lept up in the air to intercept Erutan. His hands trasnformed again into sharp claws. He slashed and clawed towards Erutan's mid-section in an attempt to knock Erutan backward. Rahk's attacks landed, sending Erutan back toward ground.

Erutan cringed at the pain, and looked down at the scratches Rahk gave him. "You'll have to do better than that." Erutan chuckled at Rahk. Erutan quickly shot towards Rahk, the wind giving him a needed boost. He shot his leg towards Rahk's body. His heel struck Rahk in his face, sending him spinning up into the air, and back onto the ground hard. Rahk jumped back up, and began to clench his fists hard. They began to glow a bright crimson red color. He lept forward towards Erutan, and delivered a combo of punches toward Erutan's chest.

Erutan was unable to dodge the attack, and took the full force of the punches. We was sent flying towards a tree, but managed to stop himself before the imapct. Erutan raised his hands up into the air. Suddenly, clouds began to form around Rahk. Lightning struck nearby, burning a tree on impact. Rahk looked straight up, only to see more lightning raining down upon him.

Rahk covered his body with his arms, but was shocked several times by the lightning. The strikes caused him to fall onto his knees. His clothes were singed and smoking from the impacts. He chuckled, and looked back towards Erutan. "Ha, is that all?" Rahk said. He quickly shot forward towards Erutan. Before Erutan can see what was going to happen next, Rahk struck Erutan in the face, instantly knocking him out, sending him sprawling towards the floor.

Rahk laughed at Erutan, then stared back towards Zain and Majotte as they began to float into the air. "Hm, let's just see who is stronger." Rahk smirked, watching the fight with his clothes still smoking.

"Last time, you didn't see my maximum power." Majotte began. "Nor will you see it now, but you will indeed see something that you can't even dream about becoming!" Majotte said. He released some power into the air. His hair shot up slightly, his aura becoming more distinct. Majotte then charged towards Zain with so much speed, that when he delivered his first punch, it appeared as though Majotte was still stadning still in mid-air. The punch collided with Zain, causing his to fly backward. He regained his balance from the attack, and shot back towards Majotte.

"Is that all?" Zain said, almost cocky. With a flash, Zain's air shot up and turned golden as well. He shot a downward kick towards Majotte, which caused Majotte to lose his balance. Zain then drew his sword from his back, and shot towards Majote, slashing it at an incredible speed.

"You're not the only one with a sword boy." Majotte muttered. With incredible speed, Majotte reached into his shirt, and pulled out a small handle of a blade. The handle suddenly shot open to reveal a broadsword, which slammed hard into Zain's sword. Both fighters attacked and hacked at each other , their swords making sparks fly around in the area, like fireworks. They both shot back at the ground, and charged towards each other, and collided again, staring each other down while struggling to mantain control of the swords.

"Well, I must admit that I'm surprised Zain." Majotte spoke. "Although I would not be surprised if you could do what I'm about to do." said Majotte. In another instant, his body shot a shockwave around him, sending Zain back a bit. Majotte's hair spiked up further, and electricity shot out of his body. Majotte then pushed his broadsword forward, and spun it vertically towards Zain. Zain easily dodged the attack, jumping back farther to predict the next. Majotte charged towards Zain, and grabbed him by the foot, and begun to spin him around in circles. Majotte than slammed Zain hard on the floor. Zain muttered when he hit the floor, then pushed his body back up into the sky.

"Damn you." Zain yells towards Majotte. He charged towards Majotte with his sword first. Halfway towards Majotte, Zain powers up to the level beyond Super Saiyan, giving him a much needed burst of speed.

There was a sudden flash that caused the trees and grass to move uncontrollably in the impact. When the light began to dim, a revealed Zain had struck Majotte on the tip of his face. Blood shot out of Majotte, and spattered onto the floor in small drops. Majotte would be dead had it struck deeper, but Majotte was holding the sword back with all of his might.

"I know for a fact that this is not going anywhere anytime soon." Majotte said with a smirk. "Lord help me if you even think you can keep up with this.." Majotte charged up once again. Electricity surged through his being, and his hair began to reach waist length. He was at the pinnacle of Saiyan power. Majotte then grabbed the blade, not caring that his blood began to flow down the sword and onto Zain's arms, and threw it away from Zain. Zain stumbled backward, then lept towards his fallen weapon. He grabbed it, and awaited Majotte to make a move. Majotte reached his bloody arm out, and like a "force", his sword was brought back into his hands.

"Shall we?" Majotte asked, staring at Zain, holding his large sword in his hands.

"Majotte, consider this the Lord helping me." Zain laughed. He began to shout fiercely. His screams began a tremendous roar of power. His hair, like Majotte's, shot to his waist. With a flash of energy, Zain completed his transformation. "As you so adequately put it," Zain smirked, "Shall we?"

The force that was let out by Zain's transforation woke Erutan from his unconcious state. He witnessed the battle, blood still dripping from Majotte's arms. He looked towards Rahk, who was paying no attention to him.

"Never turn your back on me!" Erutan thought. He cupped his hands together, and concentrated the energy into a beam. He shot it towards Rahk, and it suddenly exploded into a flame.

Rahk turned around, only to see flames reaching for him. "That son of a-" Rahk's sentence was cut short by the attack. Rahk was sent flying, but easily recovered. Rahk shot towards Erutan again, and tackled him against a tree, and began to punch Erutan in the stomache.

Erutan allowed Rahk to attack him. Erutan waited for an opening or a pause between Rahk's attacks. In no time, an opportunity revealed itself. Erutan took advantage, and gave Rahk and kick to the face to send him flying backward, to give Erutan more room.

"Try this." Erutan said. His rasied his arms wide into the air. Boulders suddenly shot from the ground, levitating at Erutan's control. Fire combusted in the air, and formed itself into small fireballs. Water formed the shape of icicles, and hardened instantly in the air. Erutan shot his hands forward, towards Rahk, all of the attacks heading for Rahk at once.

Rahk punched the boulders into smaller fragments, and jumped out of the way whenever a fireball came hurdling by, but during his jump, a pair of icicles punctured his shoulders, and pinned him against the ground.

Blood began to run down Rahk's shoulders. Rahk saw his blood, then suddenly, his angelic nature took over. His killer instincts began to cloud his judgement, his eyes began to glow red. He lunged towards Erutan, tackling him onto the ground, and began to bite, kick, and punch Erutan whenever possible, generally brawling instead of fighting intellectually.

"What the hell?" Erutan shouted. The attacks violently cut Erutan's flesh open, blood suddenly spurting out. Erutan suddenly transformed his body into dirt, and dissapeared into the ground. Rahk stood back up, one hand on the ground, the other to his side, like a wild animal. Erutan suddenly appeared yards away from Rahk.

"You asshole, that hurt." Erutan said. He raised his arms yet again. Water vaporized from nothing, and began to build up into a wall of water. A lightning bolt then came crashing into the wave. The water began to sparkle with yellow spurts of energy, and began to charge towards Rahk.

Rahk's eyes, reverted back to normal, looking up at the approaching tsunami. He attack easily landed, shocking and drowning Rahk at the same time. The tsunami exploded moments later, sending Rahk sprawling onto the floor.

"You better be dead." Erutan groaned. His chest had been horribly injured. Blood was constantly dripping onto the floor. He began to feel dizzy, his eyesight becoming blurry. He looked up at the sky, and stared at Zain. He pointed his finger towards Zain's body. In a desperate attempt, Erutan charged up an energy attack into his fingers. "This is an unstable technique, but if I hit, it will be worth it." Erutan said. He shot the energy towards Zain. The white beam shot towards Zain, when it branched into four more breams, all of which spun around the original white energy attack. The beams glowed red, blue, green, and brown, representing fire, water, wind, and earth. They all charged towards Zain, but before Erutan could witness anymore, he fell onto the ground, and blacked out.

Majotte thust hid broadsword down, the air around it began to spin violently. Majotte then begins to spin around Zain rapdidly. Suddenly, fake copies of Majotte began to appear out of nowhere around Zain, surrounding him.

Angered, Zain grabbed his sword, and began to spin. The force around his spinning body created a tornado. One by one, the clones get sucked into the vortex, moments later only to be chopped up by Zain's blade. Zain halted, staring down two Majottes, one real, one a clone.

"Tell me," Zain spoke to both, "Why did you kill Tanna?"

Both Majotte smiled. One spoke out, "Well, to tell you the truth, he was just another pawn who would get in my way. Nothing important."

Zain's anger began to rise. "Was that it?" he asked. "Where you the one who poisoned his food?"

The other Majotte answered, "Yes, I dosed the food in that entire village days before you showed up. The poison is very slow, so it was only a matter of time before he died. The more he ate afterward, the faster he killed himself." the Majotte answered. He then added, "You just happened to get to know him beforehand."

One Majotte began to reach into his pocket. "I'll do the same to you too!" he spoke. He pulled out a small purple bottle. He pulled off the cork that contained the purple liquid inside of it. Zain's eyes widened as the liquid was poured onto Majotte's broadsword. It bubbled and hissed when it came into contact with the sword. "This amount will kill instantly." Majotte added. Suddenly, then two Majotte united into one. The real Majotte pulled his broadsword backward, then threw it hard towards Zain. It spun violently in the air as it inched closer to Zain's body.

A blur shot past the flying weapon, and behind Zain. He gasped as Majotte teleported behind him. Majotte grabbed hold of Zain's arms and legs with his body, putting him in a full nelson.

"SHIT!" Zain shouted, the poisonous blade inching closer to his body.


	12. Erutan's New Intension

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 12: Erutan's New Intension**

Zain could do nothing, but watch in complete horror. Everything around him suddenly went into slow-motion. The sword spun towards his body, causing the air around it to tremble and swirl. Majotte's grip only tightened around his helpless body. Zain knew he was going to die. After all that he had gone through as a child, after walking so far away from home, and after recieving a gift from his extinct race, he was going to die.

Suddenly, an energy beam, as if it was a god-send, struck Majotte in the back, knocking both Majotte and Zain upward, and away from the broadsword. The sword continued its flight, until it strucka tree. The tree instantly vaporized into ashes upon the sword's impact. Zain gasped as the tree melted away. He looked down at where the beam came from. Erutan was knocked out, as with Rahk, a handul of meters away. The ground between them was soaked with water, electric jolts constantly sparked out of the dirt. Zain chuckled, and looked towards Majotte.

"You missed." He said to Majotte. Zain threw his entire bodies weight onto Majotte, breaking free from his grasp, and sending Majotte flying back a little bit.

Everything around Erutan was dark, not a single object was visible, even Erutan himself.

"What is this? Am I dead, or is this a dream?" he asked aloud. He saw a small dot in the distance. It was a very bright white light. Erutan slowly approached the light. It grew in size until it was roughly half of Erutan's body size. Erutan stared into the light, trying to look what was beyond it. Suddenly, he stumbled over, and fell into the light. It engulfed his body, and sent him a distance before he finally stopped himself.

Erutan opened his eyes, and stared in shock at where he was. He was in a garden, filled with a bright array of greenery. Flowers bloomed as far as the eye could see, and grass could never have been any greener than it was now. Erutan took in a deep breath. Even the air was cleansed of the foul substances of everyday life. Erutan looked up, and upon a small hill, lay an ancient shrine, made out of pure white brick. Slowly, Erutan began to walk up to the shrine.

As Erutan approached, a trail of flowers bloomed behind him, whenever he stepped on the grass. Upon the shrine, was an orb of massive size. Erutan could feel its overwhelming presence inside of his body. He trembled and stumbled up towards the orb. He stared at it in awe, and with caution, he put his hands onto the orb.

"This is impossible." Erutan thought. "This cannot be the Earth Orb, can it?" Erutan examined the orb. A piece of it was missing, as if someone had come and broke a piece off of the large spherical item. He moved his hand towards the missing piece of the orb. Suddenly, the orb liquified into a gray colored goo. Erutan jumped back from the instant transformation, and tried to run, but his legs didn't allow him to. The orb shot intself into Erutan's being through all of his cuts and wounds given to him by Rahk. Erutan's power increased tremendously. His hair shot up again, transforming into a deeper red color.

Before Erutan could think about what had just happened, he obtained a vision. A middle aged man was walking up to the orb, much like how Erutan appraoched it. The man felt the orb, examined it, then laughed.

"So, this must be the orb?" the man spoke. He man wore a brown cloak, and within he, he pulled out a dagger. He raised it high above his head, then struck the orb, cutting off a piece of the mighty sphere. The man chuckled and laughed. "With this power, I'll be able to control the earth! This planet is mine for the taking!" the man said. He laughed louder and louder into the empty space, and then the vision blanked out.

"The old man tricked me." Erutan said to himself. "He'll pay for that." Erutan braced himself, then shot through the shrine, and back out into the open area from where he came. The opening was still there, but was in the form of a black hole. He lept through the hole, then his body was engulfed in darkness.

Erutan shot up, awake and looking up into the air. He was sweating from his dream, and looked to see where he was. He was at the battlefield, Zain and Majotte staring each other down, Rahk knocked out a few meters away. Erutan could feel his new power flowing through his veins.

"Amazing, this power." Erutan spoke. "I need to kill the old man, but how do I get away from Zain?" he thought.

"I got it." He spoke quickly. He moved his hand towards the ground, a very small green ball was expelled from his hand. The piece of the Earth Orb began to glow, then, it was engulfed in smoke, as was Erutan. Zain looked down towards the smoke. It cleared, to reveal Erutan standing up, pointing towards Zain. Erutan had no pupils, and his voice was obviously different went he spoke.

"Zain, come, we fight now." he said, almost robotically, as the real Erutan darted off to search for the old man.

Zain stared at the fake Erutan. "Fine, let's do this!" he shouted. He gathered energy into his hands, and fired it fiercely towards the fake, then teleported behind Erutan, preparing to swing his sword. "Either you take my blade, or endure my energy blasts!"

Majotte shot towards Zain at the same time he swung his sword. Erutan jumped out of the way of the sword, and, as the energy approached him, Majotte smacked it to another direction, destroying only the ground.

"Damnit!" Zain said in fustration. He quickly kicked Majotte in the gut, and then hit him on the head with the dull end of his sword. Majotte shot backward, as Zain shot towards him, swinging his sword wildly.

The Fake Erutan smiled, and raised his hand. A tree came shooting out from the forest, taking the strikes from the sword instead of Majotte. Erutan charged towards Zain, running as fast as he could. The ground violently shook after every step. The power that everyone was throwing out began to open up the floor of the Earth. Fire began to erupt from these wounds of the Earth.

Erutan took flight, the wind giving him the needed boost once again. Erutan then began to fire many elemental energy attacks towards Zain, all sporting seperate elements.

Zain used his new speed to dodge the beams, and sliced others in half with his sword, but he wasn't able to dodge all of them. One attack hit him square in the chest, hissing at the impact. Zain grunted in pain, but easily shook it off. "How did he become so powerful?" he thought. His thought was cut short by another attack. Again, it struck him in the chest, but the attack was much stronger than the previous. It sent Zain flying back, cutting the air in two. Zain shouted until he crashed hard into a nearby building. With a loud rumble, the building finally gave in, crumbling to pieces. Zain jumped out, and turned around to see the building. His eyes widened greatly. Moments later a tear hit the ground. It was his home, and now, it was nothing more than a pile of rocks.

Rahk suddenly woke up from his "snooze". He felt incredible power flowing out of all the fighters. He tried to shake the cobwebs out of his head. He stumbled forward, but then began to run very sloppy. He leaped into the air at the nearest person he could find. He flew straight into Erutan's body, tackling him into the air.

Erutan and Rahk sped towards Zain, thanks to Rahk's attack. Erutan easily punched Rahk off of his body, then the fake began to brace himself to attack Zain. Rahk hit the ground nearby, then grunted. "Bastard, take this!" he shouted. He pulled out a handful of daggers from his pocket, and threw them straight towards Erutan. He then fell back onto the floor, thanks to Erutan's powerful blow.

The fake was nearing Zain's body, preparing to finish it off, when he felt several sharp objects pierce his fake skin. In pain, the fake fell into the forest floor, yelling, trying to pull the daggers out of his back. The fake stopped shouting, and managed to pull himself up. With careful accuracy, the fake ripped out all of the daggers at once. The pain surged through his backas blood dripped downward and onto the back of his legs. He stopped yelling, then stared back at Zain, waiting for something to happen, and trying to recover from Rahk's attack.

Majotte powered down, back to an original Super Saiyan state. He flew back away from the battle, and began to charge up. In a matter of moments, his skin began to change color. His roars began to become demonic and evil. His shirt ripped off, as well as the bottom of his pants. His skin turned into a greyish color, along with his hair. His hair also became stiff and hard, and grew staight into Majotte's head, creating what seemed to be spikes growing out of Majotte's head. From his knees, sharp blades grew, as well as his elbows. His hands transformed into claws, equal to Rahk's, and his muscle build grew massively. His body double in size and mass. His back became bloody, then wings suddenly shot out of his back, as well as a tail than sprouted out from his back. His eyes transformed into a dark green color, and his ears sharpened out at the ends, looking more like elf ears than human. The transformation was complete. Majotte looked much more like a monster than a human saiyan.

There was an eerie silence, the fighting stopped. Zain looked at his house, Rahk unconciouss on the ground, Erutan staring at Zain. Majotte floated down towards his broadsword, still laying next to the ashes of the tree. He grabbed the sword, and within moments, it exploded. A new sword appeared in its place, smaller in width, but curved at the tip, making it more like a saber than a broadsword. The handle was much bigger to fit Majotte's demonically massive hand size. He looked towards Zain, who was still in shock.

"Zain is the most unprepared." Majotte spoke in his thoughts. Majotte lifted his massive arms, and tossed his weapon again towards Zain's body. Zain looked at the sword, still in shock, then felt Majotte's body holding him back, again.

Zain finally snapped out of his shock. All he could feel was rage. He shouted, so loud, that the Earth itself trembled. Zain used his body weight to throw Majotte off of him. Majotte was sent flying towards his own sword, but easily grabbed in in mid-air. Zain shot upward, and towards Majotte, still shouting, and slashed away at Majotte.

Majotte protected himself with his sword, the blows only bouncing off. "You will have to do better than that." Majotte spoke to Zain.

"Then hows this?" Zain roared. He began to spin around Majotte. He suddenly became a blur in the air. Majotte was lifted into the air by the force Zain was generating by spinning around. His sword began to glow in different colors, each representing an element. He bgan to hack and slash at Majotte's body, still yelling. Some attacks burned against Majotte's skin, others froze his limbs, while others shocked his body. "This is for everyone you've killed, for my home, and from me!" Zain yelled.

Majotte was trapped, but his new power was causing the attacks to do only light damage to him. Majotte allowed Zain to strike him, waiting until Zain had an opening.

The fake Erutan stared up at Zain. Attempting to help Majotte, the fake fired a volley of flames towards Zain's vortex. The attacks struck Zain hard, but he didn't shake or recoil from the attacks.

Zain continued to slash at Majotte, when suddenly he felt something different about Erutan's being. "Worry about that later, must kill Majotte." Zain thought.

"This can't be held much longer. Soon, my body will lose its defensive power; I will be comepletely vulnerable. But I can't do anything! Agh!" Majotte spoke. "I got it!" he shouted. He tried to concentrate on his weapon, while taking the attacks. Suddenly, his sword shot upward, and spun around in the air. Using his mind, Majotte fired the sword towards Zain's body. "Either he takes the shot and gets injured, or he can dodge the attack, giving me an opening of some sort." he thought.

Zain spotted the sword. He quickly jumped away and flew higher into the sky. The sword landed gently in Majotte's hands. Zain looked at Erutan. Something was different.

Suddenly, it hit him. Zain smiled, and stared back at Majotte. "Majotte," he spoke, "your ally has left you. Look at him, it's an imposter sent to take his place. Obviously, he doesn't think you're worth his time."

"That is not my goal, if it's anything, it's you and Rahk." Majotte replied. "There will be no mercy for neither of you."

Zain began to shoot towards Majotte, when suddenly, the fake Erutan shot in between the fighters.

"I didn't completely leave Majotte." spoke the fake. The fake then raised his hands towards the sky, suddenly, a mountainous rock appeared in the air. Erutan threw the rock towards Zain's body.

Majotte made a quick decision. "This is going to hurt." Majotte said. He quickly shot behind Zain, and, for the third time, grabbed Zain's body, making it impossible to miss.

Zain stared towards the mountain. "This is too easy." Zain said. He roared aloud again, releasing massive energy. The energy was enough to crumble the rocks into nothingness. A large dust cloud was kicked up. When the dust cleared, Zain fell towards the ground, Majotte leading behind him. Both struck the ground hard, along with large chunks of land.

Majotte opened his eyes to see Zain lying next to him. "This is my one chance to finish it!" Majotte said. He gather energy into his hands, and reached them into a wound that was opened up on the ground of the earth. Majotte opened the ground up violently, then suddenly the entire mass of land that he and Zain were on sunk and collapsed. The land fell apart as it fell deeper into the Earth. "There's no running away now, just you and me, head to head." Majotte said, looking at his body.

"By the way, this is what I like to call my "Mutant" stage. I'm half saiyan, half mutant, so I can ascend to a Saiyan level while in mutant form. I'm also stronger than an average saiyan at the same stage as I am in." Majotte said. He chuckled at Zain. "I have to admit, you are strong." Majotte began to gather even more energy into his body. The rocks around them fell into the earth. Spikes began to shoot out of Majotte's body in clusters. "Now, get up. I'd like to win this with honor, rather than some little punk who would-" Majotte suddenly stopped talking. He stared back at the opening above him and Zain. He gasped. "Agh! My sword! Shit, no! If that sword gets int he hands of the wrong person.." Majotte said, panicking. "I left it back on the surface, agh! Oh the hell with it!" he shouted in anger. He then ran up to Zain's body, lifting him up by the neck. He began to squeeze Zain's neck extremely hard.

"Without my sword, I cannot show no mercy what-so-ever." Majotte explained. He squeezed Zain's neck even harder. Zain began to gurgle and choke. "This is your time, nothing can help you!" Majotte laughed. "You need a miracle!"


	13. The Wrath of the Core

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 13: The Wrath of the Core**

Zain struggled to breathe. The air puffed out of his throat in a painful wheeze. Every breath being more difficult to attain than the last. Zain tried not to panic, though it was hard. The large place they had entered, below the surface of the Earth, was beginning to glow red with heat. They were both descending into the core of the Earth. Zain finally had an idea. Zain tried to concentrate less on breathing, and more on his surroundings. Majotte's gigantic fists clutched Zain's throat, but Zain's breathing suddenly halted.

Majotte smiled, believing that Zain had finally been defeated. Suddenly, a small pebble hit Majotte on the back of his head. The pebble landed on Zain's shoulder. Then, something incredible happened. Instead of the pebble simply falling towards the core, it stuck to Zain's body

"Miracles come from the smallest things..." Zain muttered to Majotte, still breathing relaxed. Pebbles pierced the air around Majotte and Zain, and began to stick themselves onto Zain's skin and clothing. In a matter of seconds, the pebbles grew to giant rocks, and the rocks soon into large boulders. The rocks had become part of Zain. His skin turned into the color of the rock, his body grew in size, his shoulders become massive and much more broad. His entire body thickened. Majotte's hand simply could not fit around the new Zain's throat. Zain's feet now touched the ground, where Majotte was holding him in the air moments ago.

Zain had become a rock golemn, an elemental beast of the Earth. His eyes, which were now tiny black dots with no pupils, focused at Majotte with a confident glare. Zain raised his titanic fist into the air, and brought it down hard on Majotte, landing the crushing blow into the mutant's ribcage.

Majotte backed away from the blow, holding his entire rib area with his arms. "Damnit!" he scolded at himself. He pain was immense, at least, for a few seconds. Majotte straightened himself out, and stared at the golemn, with a huge smirk across his face. "All the more...fun." he laughed.

Like lightning, Majotte charged fast towards Zain, launching a hard kick right onto Zain's rock-like neck. Zain didn't even budge, not even an inch. Infact, Majotte's leg began to hurt from the blow, just a little bit, but still noticable.

"This won't be easy." Majotte had spoken.

Rahk woke up once again from his "sleep". He looked towards the ground. The dirt and grass was unsettled, and it looked as though the ground beneath it had all been carved out, like it was a hollow piece of the Earth's crust. He jumped up, staring at a familiar broadsword that was stuck on the hollow ground. He approached the sword with uneasiness. His body was still recovering from Erutan's attacks. His nose constantly bled on his approach, drops hitting the floor every few seconds. Rahk jumped towards the sword, but before he landed, he kept his body floating above the weapon, shaking. He grabbed the handle of the sword, making sure that he gripped it just right. Rahk picked it up from the ground, the sword hissed violently. The ground suddenly caved in, and fell deep into the core, making a large crater in the ground below Rahk. Acting on impulse, Rahk stared into the crater, and threw the sword into it, hard enough that it made a sonicboom behind it's path.

"Agh!" Majotte shouted. "I can feel it. Someone has my sword." he paused. "I have to get the hell out of here." Majotte quickly charged up, and shot back up towards the opening of the whole. Chunks of rock fell down from the upper layer's of crust, striking Majotte in the face. He created a small barrier to protect him from the small irritant.

"I can't stay like this forever, using this extra power, and the power draining from my sword, all the energy will burn me out, and I will be burned alive if I fall into the center of the Earth." Majotte thought. Suddenly, the top layer of the Earth that Majotte had stuck his sword in came tumbling down in pieces. Majotte shot a small ball of energy towards the land. The ball incinerated the land on impact, then dissapeared in a flash of light. Majotte began to float up to the surface again when he suddenly heard a chuckle from behind his back. He stopped immediately.

"Hello Majotte, can I help you?"

Majotte quickly turned around to see the man. "So, it is you."

Zain looked up towards Majotte. The falling rocks and grass not harming his rock hard body. He saw a figure standing next to Majotte, but with his beady golemn eyes, he could not see who it was. Zain simply shrugged this off, then continued his assault on Majotte. He jumped up into the air, but due to his weight, his jumps were small and very short lived. To combat this problem, Zain created rock ledges that suddenly shot out from the walls of the hole that they fought in. One by one, Zain jumped from one ledge to another. As big as he was, jumping in such a manner made it look as though he was leaping large distances. Zain made another ledge, then jumped as high as he could into the air. He was a few yards out of range to attack Majotte, but this didn't bother him. He pulled back his giant fist, then shot it forward. At the exact moment he punched the air, his entire arm shot off of his body, and like a rocket, shot towards Majotte's body.

Majotte didn't turn around, but knew what was about to happen. He braced himself for the impact, but this wasn't enough. The giant fist pounded Majotte's entire body, sending him, along with the fist, into a wall. Again, the rock stuck to the wall, pinning Majotte behind it. Zain then shot his other fist towards the upper layer of rock that hung above Majotte. The fist struck the wall hard, causing even more earth to land on Majotte, sticking to his body. In moments, Majotte was buried alive in a wall of earth.

Majotte could not move, the ground covering him was too hard to physically pierce through. Majotte pulled his body along the rock, placing his belly toward the wall he was pinned against. He placed his hands onto the wall at the same time, and concentrated more of his energy onto the wall. Two powerful beams of energy shot into the wall, pushing Majotte against the custom made wall by Zain. Majotte added to the pressure by pushing himself away from the wall by using his feet and tail. The trick had worked; Majotte came shooting out of the wall, and into the air. He struggled to maintain his balance in the air, then sighed and stared back at Zain.

"I have a plan, and you're not going to get in my way!' Majotte shouted. He dashed towards Zain, throwing his hand out towards Zain's side. Majotte's palm revealed itself, and shot an energy wave towards Zain's large body. Zain stumbled back, only to be shoulder tackled by Majotte. The attack finally made Zain fall backward. Majotte wasn't finished however. He cupped his hands together, and fired a large energy beams towards Zain's chest. It struck Zain and bounced right off, but not before launching Zain into a wall.

"You will NOT get in my way!" Majotte growled. His eyes began to glow red once again. Two similar beams shot towards the rocks the stuck to Zain's body, and onto the rock wall behind Zain. The rocks melted, and molded together with Zain's body, trapping him inside the wall. The rocks Zain had used to fight Majotte had sealed him to the wall like Majotte.

"And now to finish it." Majotte muttered. In a flash, his mutant appearance changed once again. His spike shot out even more, but curled downward like hooks. His hair shot back down to his waist, and his tail split into two towards the end, making a "y-shape" at the end. After the quick transformation, he shot down deeper into the Earth's core.

"I've travelled far enough for this." he said. Majotte threw his hands into the air. His body was incredibly moist with sweat from the incredible heat that the core was giving off. Majotte began to roar as a large ball of energy formed above his hands. The ball became the size of Majotte's body, and continued to grow.

"He is becoming too powerful." Zain thought. "He'll destroy us all." Zain struggled to move, but couldn't even budge. Zain again began to concentrate on the rock wall, and with ease, the wall crumbled and fell back into the pebbles that they once were. Zain was back to his original being, with the exception of the long golden hair that extended down towards his waist. His face began to show concern for himself.

"I'm not so sure how much longer I could contain this form, it's burning up all of my energy." Zain looked down into the hole. The glowing red color became more dark and distinguished as it descended. Zain made up his mind, and with a deep breath, he dived into the hole. He fell completely straight down into the crater. He began to gain momentum the longer he fell, thanks to the gravity around him, and to his own power giving him the needed boost. "If I hit him, maybe he will drop the attack." Zain muttered. He curled himself up into a ball, and continued to head straight for Majotte.

"What the hell!" Majotte yelled. "My power, it's falling! But I must..conserve energy!" He suddenly descended back into a "normal" being. His skin color reverted back to normal, and his spikes all dissapeared. The only exception being his spiky golden hair, which shortened back to only the top of his head. A ripple effect shot out from the sudden drop of power, causing the earth around him to break apart and fall into the core. Majotte looked up, smiling, but in one moment, that smile became a frown.

Majotte's sword had come sweeping down into the hole, past Zain, and into the core of the Earth. Suddenly, the Earth itself felt as though it was trembling. Tectonic plates began to move more than triple their regular speed, crashing contintents against each other, creating mountains out of thin air. The newly made mountains burst open with lava that even burned the air in the sky. Oceans began to violently shake, tsunami's were being created, and cities began to flood with water. Earthquakes topped it all off, creating large canyons where nothing was before.

"No way," Majotte spoke, "A good sixty-percent of my power was in that sword. Those idiots. Do they know what it could do to the Earth? We could be gone in seconds! FOOLS!" he thought. He looked towards Zain who came pelting towards Majotte next. "You ruined my entire plan! You will pay with your life!" Majotte yelled. He threw the massive energy ball into the core of the Earth, making a small "plop" sound as it dug into the center of the Earth. The core's solid interior began to meltdown. Soon, the Earth would begin to collapse on itself.

No sooner did he throw the attack did Majotte dodge Zain's attack.

Zain felt Majotte's large energy attack dissapear, oblivious to the fact that Majotte had thrown it. "Good, he seems to be losing power." Zain thought. His thoughts were interrupted however, by a blinding light. Zain opened his eyes, and gasped. He was flying straight into the core of the Earth. He tried to turned around, but the momentum he built up was too much to fight against. Zain's voice shrieked across the hole as his body plunged into the core. A last scream ripped out of his throat before his body disintegrated into the massive ball.

Majotte shrugged off the scream of his enemy, and began to fly back up and out of the hole, chuckling in his head above Zain's death. Before he could make it out however, a ball of light stopped his path. The ball shot Majotte's body back into the core, but only for a moment. Majotte managed to escape the attack, to stare back up at the attacker.

"Did you forget I was here?"

"No, you just didn't seem worth my time, until now." Majotte spoke. The old man had returned. His smile pierced the darkness that encased his face in the cloak. His old hand reached into his cloak, and pulled out another small ball, and threw it towards Majotte. Majotte jumped out of the way, but was then sucked deeper into the core.

"Damn those attacks, he's trying to make me fall into the core with Zain!" Majotte thought. Not knowing how much more he could take, Majotte quickly bursted towards the old man. He old man suddenly opened up his entire cloak, revealing nothing but a small dark black hole inside.

"What the hell are you?" Majotte asked. More orbs began to shoot out of the black hole inside the old man's cloak, each heading toward Majotte. Majotte countered each attack with a small energy attack, one that was powerful enough to break the small orbs into tiny pieces. Majotte jumped upwards towards the old man, and threw a punch towards him.

The old man leaped fast towards a piece of land that shot out from the wall, a piece of land that Zain made. He giggled and laughed at the fact that Majotte's attack missed. Majotte appeared quickly behind the old man, and threw a kick his way, into his neck.

The old man's laughs turned into a gasp, then into a small cough. He began to gurgle and choke on his own blood, which rushed out of his mouth. The kick Majotte unleashed was so fast that it cut right through the old man's neck. The cloak fell off of the old man, the black hole was mysteriously gone. The cloak landed into the hole, followed by the old man. The head bounced off of the wall, then began to fall into the core, but before falling in, the old man smiled.

"You'll have to die with me then!" he said. As soon as he landed in the liquid core of the Earth, the core made a loud vicious noise. The liquid in the core suddenly turned into a deep purple. The liquid shot up into the upper layer of the core, and onto the surface. It was the same as the liquid that was infecting the Earth. Majotte's eyes widened.

"Oh shit, I gotta move!" Majotte yelled, shooting as far out of the core as possible.

"Time to Wake Up." a voice beamed out.

"Zain's eyes opened up. "But, I'm dead aren't I?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Time to wake up."

Zain nodded. "Okay."

Zain's eyes opened. He was in a garden. In front of him stood a woman with the same colored hair as himself. Her eye color matches his own, and her energy felt familiar to Zain.

"Mother..." Zain murmured.


	14. Survive!

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 14: Survive!**

The Earth was already in the slow process of breaking apart. Whatever that was left of the earth began to melt underneath the incredible pressure. Lava covered most of the Earth's surface, coming from the fissures and splits on the crust. Heavy rains were scattered around the world, flooding many areas. This seemed to be the end of the world.

Majotte didn't care though, all he wanted right now was his own life, and nothing more. With the last few ounces of his old strength, he managed to shoot back into an ascended Saiyan. He braced himself, then shot upward out of the hole at top speed, making sharp turns to avoid falling debris, twisting and turning away from the chunks of rock. Majotte's body began to cool down as he exit the inner mantle, then seconds later, out onto the crust, until his body finally shot upward out of the hole.

"That's it." Majotte grunted to himself. "I have no more energy, except this small amount that I need to survive." he added. His hair instantly changed back to its original black color. though still spiking upward. Majotte dashed away as far as he could from the hole as magma shot upward and spurt out of it. A large rock came out, and headed for Majotte's body. Quickly, Majotte rolled behind a small hill, which protected him from the rock. The rock collided with the land, making a small crater next to Majotte. Fire erupted from the hole, followed by more lava.

"The core," Majotte said aloud, "It's over, the Earth is doomed, and I have nowhere to go." He turned back around, and began to walk as steady as he could, until he saw a familiar face. "Erutan! Where the bloody hell did you go?"

Zain looked on at his deceased mother, Gwenalin. She was as beautiful as he had remembered. Her long red hair flew softly in the mysterious warm breeze, her eyes sparkling as if they were enchanted.

Gwenalin spoke, "Zain, the Earth is being destroyed from the inside out. Just look at it." Her hand motioned towards a pond of very shallow water that appeared next to her heavenly figure. Zain crawled up to the hole, and stared into it. Zain looked at the water in confusion, but it dissapeared from his mind once the water began to swirl around. A moving picture began to slowly come into view. Zain saw Majotte losing his power, he saw his sword plunge into the depths of the core. He saw Rahk and Majotte running from the crater, but most of all, he saw the core itself. It was ready to blow at any minute.

"You see, your time isn't up, there is one person who can save the planet..." she talked smoothly towards Zain. The pond swilred once again, and inside of it, was a picture of Erutan, apparently running back into a thick forest. His body was damaged, but working fine otherwise, his clothes were completely singed as well, as if he had been in a battle. Gwenalin looked towards Zain, and lay her fragile hand on his shoulder. "But, he will need your assistance." she added. "Just as the prophecy foretold.

Zain's head shot up to his mother. "Me?" he asked her. His heart was beginning to race at her words.

"Yes, now go." Gwenalin said to Zain. "You are the last of our race, show all what a Woodling's powers can do. Go!" With a loud popping noise, Zain was engulfed in a blinding light. Zain shielded himself from the light due to its brightness.

Zain's eyes shot open. He was back on the surface. His dismantled house only feet from his body, Majotte and the fake Erutan nearby, with Rahk resting on the opposite side of the field from Majotte. Zain threw his head up. "ERUTAN!" he shouted.

As if he was summoned by Zain, Erutan came sprawling back to the battlefield. As Zain had seen in the pond with his mother, Erutan was in bad shape. His entire left arm was bleeding, and where the golden brace had been there was a large gash. He looked towards Majotte, who was staring the other way. This thought was suddenly tossed aside, due to a sharp pain Erutan suddenly felt inside of his head.

A voice whispered in Erutan's head. "The Earth is about to explode, you can stop it." the voice faintly spoke.

Erutan began to shake, his body fell limp, his knees struck the floor in fear. "But, what if I blow it? Why take such a gamble on the lives of all the Earthlings?" he thought. He suddenly heard a faint voice come from the damaged Woodling houses. "Zain.." Erutan thought. Sure enough, by the ruins, Zain stood staring at Erutan.

"Zain, the Earth is doomed! What can we do?" Erutan shouted back to Zain.

"What?" Majotte shouted. His head turned from Erutan, then to the fake. "If that's Erutan," Majotte said, "then who is he?" he added, pointing towards the fake.

As if on que, a shiny purple orb came sprawling from the lava crater in the Earth. It liquified, and entered the fake Erutan. The fake Erutan did not scream, struggle, or panic, it was if it allowed the strange orb to invade it.

"That damn old man!" Majotte yelled in fustration. Suddenly, the clone ran towards Majotte, and threw a kick to Majotte's face. Majotte brought his hands up to block the attack, but even with the protection of his arms, his body was knocked back a foot or two. The clone then raised its hands, and a geyser erupted from the ground beneath Majotte. Majotte jumped to avoid a fountain of lava that shot out from the geyser. Majotte landed poorly on the ground, stumbling onto the floor.

Majotte stood back up, only to be met by the fake Erutan's knee connecting to his gut. Majotte was sent into the air, and was once again attacked by another geyser that appeared from beneath him.

"What the hell are you guys waiting for!" Majotte yelled to Erutan and Zain. "I got this guy, no problem!" he shouted, running towards the clone. Icicles sprouted from the fake's hands. Majotte managed to jump into the air to avoid the ice, then gave the fake a roundhouse kick, which to Majotte's misfortune, was caught by the fake.

The fake laughed, then threw Majotte back to the ground. Majotte stopped himself by putting his hands under his head, stopping the attack. Majotte then gave the fake a kick in the face with his other foot, hurling the clone backward and into the air. Majotte jumped after the fake, and elbowed it on the back of it's neck, sending it back to the surface. The clone stopped itself from the impact of the ground, and quickly fired an icicle back towards Majotte, which pierced his shoulder. Majotte fell shamefully to the ground, coughing up blood, which splattered on the grass.

"Damnit Rahk, why did you throw my sword?" Majotte asked. Majotte then had a new idea. He quickly jolted towards the fake, then bursted back into a Super Saiyan. "This is my last ounce of energy." Majotte thought as he tackled the clone. Both fighters then plunged into the hole once again, falling straight down and into the inner core. Majotte released all of his power as soon as the core was visible. He and the fake then plunged into the center of the Earth.

A figure began to walk out, a smile spread across his face. The clone smiled, and looked at the core.

"Finish..." the fake spoke darkly. It raised its hand to the core, preparing to blow it up, when suddenly, it's eyes widened. The fake's face turned pale as his blood shot out from his waist. Majotte shot out from behind the clone, clenching in his hands, his broadsword, which was in mint condition. The clone was split in half, and was sent sprawling into the core, making a dark hiss as it melted. More purple liquid entered the core, and spread through the ground like veins. Majotte jumped onto a small ledge, sweating, then fell onto his back.

"That's it for me." Majotte said. "No more energy to even stand up anymore." he added. He pulled himself towards the wall of the hole, and sat upright, watching the core prepare to burst.

"Erutan, we must focus our energy." Zain said. "Grab my hand."

Erutan wasted no time, regardless that Zain was his enemy. He quickly grabbed Zain's hand, then awaited Zain. Something happened however. Erutan felt his body dissapearing. His body began to glow white, almost blinding him. He looked towards Zain, who was also glowing white. The two figures were then engulfed in the bright light. An explosion appeared from were they stood, the light scattered around the ruins, the grass, and the hole.

The light began to dim. Erutan and Zain were nowhere to be seen. In their place, stood a different person, only one person. The figure stood tall, almost six feet, his muscular body was clad in a black trenchcoat, black pants, black boots, and a green shirt. A sword was also strapped on his back, the handle bearing a green orb symbol. His eyes were purple with golden rims. He was a complete balance of the other two, Zain and Erutan.

Without a word, the man jumped high into the air, the speed he was going at causing sparks to scatter behind him. From where he jumped, flowers began to bloom. The man's body was then seen falling into the hole at speeds that made the ground around the hole fall into it. He began to pick up more speed during his fall, flying well over the speed of sound. He could see the core ahead of him. It had turned into a devilish black color, and was already beginning its final preparations to explode. Without hesitation, the man jumped straight into the dark core. He was absorbed into it, making no sound, as if it feared the man. It began to explode in various spots, incinerating any rocks that were caught in the explosions, as if a battle itself were taking place inside the core. A huge bubble began to form on the surface, growing bigger and bigger, larger than any manmade structure.

The man emerged from the bubble, making a small pop. He flew just ahead of the flames, which flew upward, covering every crack of the hole, swallowing it up. The man began to dash upward to escape the hole. He saw Majotte sitting upward, staring at him. He quickly grabbed Majotte, and finished his run upward and out of the hole. The man and Majotte shot straight out, and flew to the side. Seconds later, the flames shot from the hole fiercly, and into the air. The flames continued to shoot out, spitting out rocks and more magma.

The man walked towards the edge of the hole, bringing his hands together, concetrating. Spurts of magma shot around the man, but never touched him. Around him, clouds began to hover, darkening. It began to rain. This wasn't normal rain however, as soon as it touched the magma flowing out, the magma froze in place, and became solid. The rain was intensly cold. The flames now stopped. Finally, the man closed the hole with his abilities.

The man turned and smiled at Majotte. "Not bad, huh?" he chuckled. His voice was a flow of two voices, unified into one.

"Interesting." Majotte said to the man. "This is quite a surprise, but, how do you know my name, and who are you?" Majotte asked.

The man thought for awhile, comically poking his cheek in thought. "I got it!" he snapped. "You can call me Zutan. I'm a fused warrior between Erutan and Zain. I suppose since Erutan knew you, that you are my friend, which is why I saved you." he explained.

"I see," Majotte said, "I guess things are going to be kind of different with you two merged together." Suddenly, Majotte's hair shot straight upward, becoming a Super Saiyan once more.

"It's about time this damn sword began to kick in."

Zutan's body suddenly felt strange, as if it was falling apart. Then, out of nowehere, Zutan dissapeared, revealing Erutan and Zain.

"That sixty percent of the energy I lost from earlier, from Rahk throwing it into the core," Majotte said, grinning. "Is finally coming back. I feel almost better than ever, come on Erutan."

"What?" Erutan questioned.

"I mean, lets get things settled here." he said. There's two of us, and one of Zain." Majotte looked towards Zain. He clutched his broadsword, and lifted it behind his back, staring at Zain.

"Your time has come." he told Zain, who was struggling to grasp the situation.


	15. On with the Battle

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 15: On with the Battle**

The trembling from the Earth's core was silent. This quiet period left an eerie feeling to all who survived the disasters that spread around the world. The floods began to receed across the globe, canyons closing back up, magma flowing into the cracks and back into the mantle of the Earth. The Earth was at peace, but, in the late home of the Woodlings, the fight continued.

Erutan looked at Majotte, shocked to hear what he had said. "Majotte, he just helped save your life." he murmured. He stared at Majotte, pouting like a child who didn't get his way.

Majotte said nothing to this, instead, giving Erutan a cold glare. The glare pierced Erutan's body, giving Erutan some insight.

"I see, you really want to finish this." Erutan said. "If you really want to, go ahead, take care of Zain. I'm just going to watch."

"Good idea." Majotte said, turning his face back to Zain. The wind blew against his side, lifting leaves into the air to dance. Majotte smiled, as dirt began to build around his body. "What do you say to fighting a mutant again Zain?" Majotte asked, immediatly becoming a monster once more. His tail extended behind him, along with a set of giant wings, claws that could cut air, if Majotte wished them to. Spikes shot out from Majotte's arms and tail, along with his shoulders. Fangs and horns sprouted on his face, and his muscles expanded to the size of large rock. Majotte chuckled, looking at his hands, then back at Zain.

"I'm surprised that you got this far, but for one of us, it is going to end here." Majotte said with confidence. He grabbed ahold of his broadsword, raising it high into the air. He clutched it hard, and with a shout, swung it downward towards the ground. It made a loud impact with the ground, instantly creating a blast of energy that shot out of the tip of the blade. The energy sped directly towards Zain.

In the blink of an eye, Zain's hair turned golden, and extended down to his waist. The attack from the sword slammed into Zain's body. The attack then bounced off and into the air. Zain hadn't budged from the attack, making him smile as well. A portion of Zain's golden hair fell to the floor, reverting back to its crimson red color. Zain looked back at Majotte. Due to the attack, the broadsword became stuck in the ground. Zain took the opportunity, and dashed to the side. Majotte looked on as Zain zig-zagged towards his body. Zain made a giant leap in the air, landing his foot directly in Majotte's face, sending him flying sideways. Zain looked back at the sword. He concentrated hard on the ground around it, and suddenly, more rock and layers of the Earth slammed in on the broadsword. Zain saw at the corner of his eye, Majotte had fired another energy beam at Zain. Zain quickly reacted, leaping into the air, spinning backward, and with style, landed back on the floor. He quickly drew his sword from its sheath, an awaited Majotte's next mode.

"Like I said, I'll give you credit for making it this far," Majotte told Zain, "Only making it this far." He ran towards Zain, throwing his fist into the air, and before swinging down towards Zain, he dissapeared. Zain panicked for a moment, which was all Majotte needed to attack. He reappeared behind Zain, laughing to get Zain's attention. Zain turned around, awaiting a direct hit from an attack, but didn't see a thing.

"He's messing with me..." Zain thought.

Majotte reappeared right in front of Zain's face, causing Zain to stumble backward. An elbow came ramming hard into Zain's stomache, making Zain automatically spit out some blood, the blood splattering over Majotte's arm.

Zain shot backward and slammed into a tree, breaking it down onto Zain's body. Majotte laughed yet again, having the time of his life against a foe who apparently seemed weaker than himself. He dissapeared, reappearing next to his sword.

"Guess it's time to use my technique for the first time plain sight." Majotte's smile growing in size. "My Concentration technique!" Majotte punched through the rock, searching for the handle. Majotte managed to find it, then in a moment, both his arms were entirely covered in energy. The sword made the rock around it explode, sending pebbles flying in all directions. Majotte pointed his long broadsword directly at the fallen tree, towards Zain. The broadsword at sparking with electricity from Majotte's new power. "Shall we duel?" he asked.

The tree suddenly floated up and off of Zain's body. Zain shot back up, and landed on his feet. He dusted himself off, smiling back at Majotte. Zain looked down, noticing his sword lying a few feet away from him. He jumped towards it, grabbed in in midair, and landed back on his feet.

"En Gaurd." Zain told Majotte. "Weird," Zain thought, "I seem to be enjoying this.." Throwing this thought aside, Zain lept forward, and with a roar, thrusted his sword forward in a stabbing motion.

Majotte did the same, running forward, but instead of jumping, he ran underneath Zain. He jumped forward even more, causing Zain to fly over and behind Majotte's body. Majotte swung his broadsword backward, heading for Zain's neck.

Zain quickly turned, blocking Majotte's blow with his sword. The swords quivered as the two fighters tried to overpower each other. Zain tried as hard as he could not to chuckle, but to no avail. "I really am having fun Majotte." Zain told his enemy. Zain thrusted his sword downward, and at the same time, jumped backward. Majotte's broadsword swung into the dirt, giving Zain an opening. Zain again leapt in the air, and shot towards Majotte.

Majotte flipped backward, stared at Zain, and charged towards him, lunging his giant monster-like body into the air. Majotte suddenly paused in mid-air, only feet from Zain. He opened up his right palm, and fired off a small sized energy attack With his left palm, he threw his sword, at the same time as the energy attack. Immediately afterward, Majotte charged towards Zain with his fist clenched. "What are you going to dodge Zain?" Majotte told the young Woodling. "A blistering energy beam, a razor sharp broadsword," Majotte suddenly bursted forward, "or ME!"

Zain brought up his sword in one hand, and began to concentrate. Everything around him dissapeared, execpt for three items: The sword, the energy attack, and Majotte himself. A bright flash engulfed the area surrounding Majotte. It quickly cleared up, showing all what Zain had done. A wall of rock had appeared in front of the broadsword, blocking its movement only moments away from Zain. the energy attack however, was stuck to Zain's sword, vibrating as it tried to continue it's straight path. The energy attack was cut in half, sending both parts spiraling into the ground and fizzling out. Zain braced himself as Majotte approached.

Majotte reached out to grab his broadsword from the rock wall. His body shot straight through the wall, breaking it into small pieces. He grabbed his weapon in mid-flight, and flew underneath Zain's body. Majotte's tail suddenly wrapped around Zain's arms, preventing him from moving. With a strong motion, Majotte's tail flung Zain towards the ground.

Zain tumbled towards the ground, but easily caught himself using his hands. He backflipped into the air, paused, then headed back towards Majotte, swinging his sword. Majotte easily caught Zain's sword by clamping his hands around it. Before he could attack however, he felt a burning sensation coming from Zain's sword. Majotte, by reflex, let go of the sword, wafting his hands in the air to cool off his hands. Zain slammed Majotte's head with the dull end of his sword, but before Majotte fell, Majotte grabbed Zain's leg, bringing Zain down with Majotte. Majotte then winded up, and tossed Zain towards the ground.

Zain roughly landed on the ground, but got back onto his feet as soon as he landed. "I'm starting to get mad.." Zain muttered under his breath. He flew back towards Majotte, powering up his sword with his own energy. Zain slashed his sword into the air, sending off an energy attack that shot towards Majotte's body.

Majotte laughed at the attack though, moving out of the path of the projectile before they both came into contact. Majotte swung his blade towards Zain, then dissapeared once again. Zain prepared to counter the sword flying towards him, when he was suddenly elbowed in the back by Majotte. The attack sent Zain flying fast towards the sword.

Zain gasped, and at the last moment, thrusted his body backward, causing the sword to fly above Zain's body while Zain completed the backward spin. The broadsword flew towards Majotte. Majotte could not do anything as his own sword slammed into his chest. More than half a foot of Majotte's own weapon dug into his upper left chest area. Majotte had stopped it before it could dig any deeper into his body. Majotte shaked his head, staring at the blade.

"I honestly didn't expect this. Oh well." he thought. With a deep breath, Majotte gripped his sword, and pulled it out, roaring with pain. Blood shot out of his chest, and dripped down his broadsword. This however, didn't intimidate Majotte. Infact, it made him more eager to win. He flew upward, high enough to see above the clouds, and began to charge up energy. The clouds rippled around his body, distorting into strange shapes that represented Majotte's aura. Majotte looked back at Erutan.

"Hey, help me out here," Majotte told Erutan, "I need you to hold Zain back. This attack will finish this battle!" Majotte shouted aloud to all. An energy ball suddenly appeared above Majotte's hands, growing slowly in size. "I just need a few minutes!"

Zain began a dash towards Majotte, but was stopped by a large gust of wind which sent him back down to the ground. He stared upward, staring down Erutan, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"I'm afraid that this is the end Zain." Erutan told him, slight dissapointment in Erutan's voice. "I never really thought any of this would happen. I do appreciate your help to heal the Earth, but Majotte's my friend, and if you want to get to him, you must go through me." Erutan finished.

"Erutan, please let me through." Zain told him, his anger rising, along with his energy. "If Majotte lives, more people will suffer at his hands! Do you really want that to happen!" Zain asked Erutan.

Without answering Zain's question, Erutan jumped toward him, jumpkicking in the air, spinning using a gust of wind.

Zain side-stepped the attack, and grabbed Erutan's leg. He began to build up momentum. "Sorry Erutan, but if I have to destroy you do stop Majotte, then I WILL!" Zain yelled. He threw Erutan straight into the air, then dissapeared. His body appeared behind Erutan. Erutan turned, only to get elbowed into his chest. Erutan fell to the ground, feeling as though his heart had suddenly stopped. Zain pointed a finger towards Erutan's body, and fired a beam of energy after his body.

Erutan braced himself for the impact of the ground and the energy attack. His body slammed into the floor, quickly followed by the energy attack. He grunted loudly as the beam came into contact with his body. A small explosion came from the attack. Erutan quickly blew the smoke away from his body, and looked at it. Everything was intact. Nothing was broken, at least not yet.

"This attack took Rahk out." Erutan told Zain. He raised his hand, and suddenly, a rush of water bursted from behind himself. A bolt of lightning shot from a clear sky, creating an electric barrier that covered the water. The water then jumped into the air and rushed towards Zain.

Zain brought his sword forward, and slashed the wave as it came to him. The wave split in half, but the electricity that protected the water suddenly shot up Zain's sword, and rushed throughout his body. Zain tumbled, smoking, to the ground, but managed to regain his balance just before he hit. Zain looked at himself, chuckling. The electricity still surrounded his body, but no longer hurt him.

"I could use this." he thought. He concentrated the electrical surge into his sword. He began to spin his sword quickly in a circle shape. The sword became a blur as the spins sped up. "Lightning Drill!" Zain shouted. He thrust the sword forward, and the electricity shot outward, spinning like a drill, heading straight for Erutan.

"Is that it?" Erutan questioned. He raised his arms upward, bringing up a large rock wall. The lightning came into contact with the wall, causing the wall to explode. Rocks tumbled and flew in different directions around Erutan, but not harming him.

"Time to heat things up a bit." Erutan said. He jumped into the air, and began to float above the ground. He threw his hands directly to his sides, smiling. A bubble appeared around his body, making a strange sound as it jiggled. Zain questioned the attack, bracing himself for anything. A drop of sweat hit the floor from Zain's chin. He awaited for the attack to come, but it didn't. A few more sweatdrops hit the floor from Zain's face. Zain's eyes suddenly shot open in shock.

"Damnit!" Zain shouted. "Its getting too hot." Zain flew into the sky, but it was still incredibly hot. He quickly slipped his trenchcoat off. It floated towards the ground, and when it came into contact, began to smoke. Zain flew towards Erutan sluggishly, due to the heat. He pointed his sword towards Erutan's body, and began to spin around rapidly, becoming a human drill.

"God damn, its getting hotter and hotter." Majotte said. The energy ball he had created was already larger than a mountain. The sky above the clouds began to glow purple and black from the energy attack. The clouds began to swirl around in circles around the energy ball. Majotte floated higher into the atmosphere to avoided getting hurt from the heat. "Keep going Erutan, I just need a little longer, I'm almost ready." Majotte thought.

Erutan's bubble popped, and the heat from his own attack caught him off guard. He moved aside from Zain's drill attack, but was cut across his left leg. Blood slowly dripped out and down his leg, reddening his pants. He floated slightly higher when another bubble suddenly appeared around Erutan, cooling off his body in moments.

"Okay Zain, if that's how you want it." Erutan muttered. The heat suddenly became extreme. The grass and leaves suddenly burst into small controlled fires around the area, and anything that was in the air became a small fireball. "Not much things can live in this heat." Erutan told Zain. "Can you handle it Zain?" he chuckled.

Zain's energy was quickly leaving his body. "So...much heat.." Zain thought. He slowly began to float towards the ground. "NO!" he shouted. "Don't touch the ground." he told himself. Zain pushed his body higher into the air, the wind from his movements cooling off his body. The cool feeling from the wind was all Zain needed to withstand the heat. He unbuckled his sword's sheath from his back, and pulled off his shirt. He clipped the sheath back onto his bare skin, and let the shirt drop to the floor. The shirt landed on the floor seconds later, then burst into flames with the grass. Feet away, his trenchcoat was already ashes. Zain gulped at the burning pile of clothes. "I won't be next." he assured himself. With a cry, Zain shot towards Erutan, swinging his sword with one hand, and at the same time, throwing energy balls from his other hand.

Erutan noticed the oncoming attacks. He braced himself, then expanded his bubble. The energy attacks got stuck to the bubble, and began to glow bright. An explosion quickly followed behind, hiding Erutan from Zain's sword. Erutan shot from the smoke back to the Earth. He let go of his grip from the ground, and suddenly, the ground began to cool off, but still burned on touch.

Erutan looked up at Majotte. He stared in awe at the sky. It turned pitch black. All that was visible was Majotte. The attack was now covering the entire blue portion of visible sky. "All that energy." Erutan gasped. "And it's still growing!" he said. He quickly threw all remaining thoughts aside.

"I've given you enough time Majotte, finish this once and for all!" Erutan shouted.


	16. Departure

_**To Find the Infection**_

**Chapter 16: Departure**

Again, all was silent. The Earth was slowly being enveloped by a strange black aura. The aura distorted and eradicated all of the clouds in the sky. Any airborne material, including human lives, were immediately destroyed as a result of the gathering power that the juggernaut was building up. Majotte hovered well above the atmosphere of the Earth now, miles from the battle, but could still sense the power of Erutan and Zain.

Majotte looked up at his energy ball. He felt as if something or someone had hit him in the back of his head. He smiled, and looked back down onto the unsuspecting Zain.

"Alright," Majotte said, "although I can sum up more power, this needs to be here, and this needs to be done now." Suddenly, the energy that hovered in the sky began to form itself into a ball in his hands. Majotte shot his hands towards his sides, and the ball fell crashing down on top of him. It did not hurt him however. Infact, it looked as though it was a barrier. Some of the devilish energy was sucked into Majotte's being. Suddenly, his mutant appearance grew in size. His tail stretched out longer than ever. Most of his spikes receeded back into his skin, but the ones that remained became thicker, taking the spots that the old spikes would have taken. The horns on his head shot straight up, along with his hair. His hair stretched down just barely beyond his shoulders. Finally, red fur grew around his chest and tail. He truly looked like a beast. Erutan gasped at the vicious sight.

"My final attack, and all of this will be over." Majotte's voice boomed out. The black and purple energy ball that surrounded Majotte suddenly calmed down. It began to glow gold, and more spherical. It turned into a solid mass, and to Zain's horror, began to make a slow free fall towards the Woodling ruins.

Majotte looked down towards the ruins. He could see his target: Zain. The ball of energy began to pick up speed, but was still a far distance away from the ground. The sphere again began to cover the sky, and shaded the entire ruins home and more, as it got closer. Majotte was visible inside the sphere. His arms and legs where attatched to the inside of the ball. It was as if he was steering the ball, giving it energy to fall faster. The ground below began to make large ripples around Zain's body. A crater began to form around Zain, him being in the center of the attack. The center of the crater didn't crumble with the ground around it however.

Majotte had lost his vision. Everything became blurs of color as he sped down towards his target. Finally, with a rush of power building up inside of him, he powered the ball to shoot even faster towards Zain. The ball suddenly expanded from the power boost, engulfing the entire region in a large shadow.

"Now you can't run." Majotte thought in his mind.

"Good lord." Erutan panicked. "That thing will destroy us all. What can I do to escape this attack?" As he thought, he felt another voice inside of him. It struggled to speak, but failed. Erutan pushed the voice aside, looking around. Only feet away from him, lay Rahk, injured, but struggling to Zain's side. Erutan quickly rushed towards Rahk, only thinking about surviving.

"Heads up Rahk!" Erutan shouted. He closed in on Rahk, who had covered his body with his wings, not trusting Erutan's hasty approach. Erutan grabbed Rahk by the waist, and shot back and away from the immediate impact area; the area that would feel the greatest effects of the attack.

Erutan landed on a cliffside, and set Rahk beside him, and began to stare at the large golden sphere head towards Zain. "Brace yourself Rahk." Erutan whispered.

Zain looked straight up at the energy attack. "Oh my god.." he muttered to himself, while a tear began to slowly fall down his cheek. "I'm going to die." he added. "The only person who could stop that was Zutan, and Erutan is too far away to get to him on time." Zain thought. He wiped the tear off of his face with his arm. Zain floated into the air, searching for anywhere to escape the attack. "Nowhere to go." he said. He looked on at Majotte, filled with a sudden rage. "If I'm going to go, you're coming with me Majotte!" he shouted. He covered his body with his arms, making a cross shape, while he curled his legs upward. His body released lightning as he began to charge up his power. His energy surged throughout his veins, flowing with every slow heartbeat Zain had. Zain's body began to glow white as the energy collected inside. "Maybe combined with Majotte's own energy, I won't be the only one to die." Zain thought.

"Zain's power is growing? This can't be right." Majotte muttered, still speeding towards Zain. "Somehow, it's equal to my attack! Impossible!" he shouted, voice unheard, not even by himself. "I need...more...POWER!" he roared. He shouted, and the ball grew even larger, and began to speed up even faster towards Zain's body. The ball was only inches away from Zain's body, ready to make a direct impact. "You're dead!" Majotte shouted.

Zain felt the warmth of the ball engulf him. As soon as he felt it, he stretched his body limbs in all directions. His entire body shot out energy. The energy he released was glowing white with Zain's very lifeforce. The ball haulted from the energy attack Zain released.

Majotte gasped at the energy release. "He didn't! No!" he shouted in fear.

The energy ball and Zain's life force collided, and began to ignite like wildfire. The golden energy ball exploded, engulfing Majotte and Zain with it. The explosion ripped through the area. The shockwave released was massive, trees bent on an angle from the power. Erutan and Rahk fell back from the attack, but didn't move much. Suddenly, all fell quiet. Flames covered the attack area. Golden flames erupted from leftover energy. The smoke quickly blew away, thanks to the gold flame and additional waves of energy that were released from the attack. Zain was nowhere to be seen, nor was Majotte. Not a trace of their beings were around.

The ground rippled, but still, not a sound could be heard. Everything was quiet. Finally, in a split second, everything was back to normal. The trees which were eradicated or blown away from the impact were back in their roots, flowers were blooming on the grass, and birds were chirping and fluttering around in the air. All the flames had vanished.

All that remained from the attack was a small hole, about five feet in diameter. Two injured beings shot out from the hole, landing hard on the floor. Majotte and Zain were quiet. Majotte's body twitched, very pale, and with almost no energy remaining.

Erutan and Rahk were a distance away. They were spared from the attack. Erutan looked towards Rahk, who flew a bit farther than he. He saw a body slowly rise from the ground. It was Majotte, but he was nowhere near a healthy condition. His body still smoked from the attack.

Majotte mustered the ability to stand on his feet. He stumbled slightly, but managed to get up. His body had reverted back to normal. He looked straight behind him. He looked on at the hole in the ground. Matter was swirling around in the hole, like a portal. He smiled, and looked towards Erutan, who was standing on the cliffside.

"This is another dimension." Majotte said. "I won't be dead, but I will have to live here for awhile, until the Earth calms down. This hole can take me anywhere, I won't know until I get there. It happened when Zain's energy collided with mine. I was aware when I increased my power that the Earth could not handle it. The Earth has it's own backup system, so does every other planet out there. Once a being, or beings surpass the limit of power that the Earth can take, it kicks into some kind of emergency sequence that expells all the powerful forces involved with the massive energy signal, in this case, Zain and I." Majotte said, finishing the Earth's explanation. He took a breath, legs still shaking from the power of the attack, and continued on.

"Either way, when all of this was happening, Zain and I cracked open a portal to a new world, and, unless I want to die, thanks to the Earth's backup system, that's the place I will have to live for awhile. I'm sure that it's the same for Zain." Majotte looked down at the ground, his face was mixed with feelings of anger and fustration. "Althought my goal went unfulfilled, I'll have to leave immediately."

Majotte creeped up to the whole. He held his breath. "See ya later Erutan." he finished. He body suddenly fell into the hole, and dissapeared.

"Majotte!" Erutan shouted. He lept down, off of the cliff, and headed for the hole. Erutan's body fell limp from energy loss, but he quickly stood back up, and ran up to the hole. He looked into it, but Majotte was nowhere to be seen. Erutan tried to touch the hole, but it suddenly dissapeared as well, the ground below it unsettled. Erutan sighed, and looked around to see no damage to the area. Zain lie a few feet from the hole. Erutan walked up to Zain's mangled body. His body was pale, like Majottes, and had absolutely no energy. Blood streamed down his forehead, and colored his clothes. A leg was ripped clean off of the body, spilling blood everywhere around it.

"He won't survive like this." A voice boomed inside Erutan's ear.

"I know." Erutan replied. He raised his hand towards Zain's being. Suddenly, he felt more energy escape his body, but for a good cause. He approached Zain's ear, and whispereed, "This is all I can do for you. I hope it helps. Good-bye Zain, I hope we meet again sometime." he spoke.

The voice boomed inside Erutan's head yet again. "You must return to where you found me and rest, we have much to catch up and work on."

"Okay." Erutan thought. He caught sight of something in the woods of the ruins. He squinted his eyes on the shadow. It was a person, or at least what Erutan thought to be a person. The thing had a black cloak on, with a hood that covered its face. It then ran away into the woods. Erutan brushed this aside with a smile on his face. "Okay, take me back to the shrine." Erutan thought. In an instant, a powerful wind erupted around Erutan's body, causing it to dissapear immediately.

Rahk grunted as he stood up. He stumbled forward and off of the cliff, but with all of his remaining energy, managed to float before landing hard on the ground. He felt Erutan's energy scatter into the area, and vanish.

"Damnit, I wanted to fight you one last time." Rahk muttered. "Thanks for watching out for me, hope we meet real soon." He flew toward Zain to help revive him. He noticed that blood continue to flow from Zain's missing leg. "Sorry Kid, I wish I could have been stronger to help out." He said, grunted as he plucked a feather from one of his wings. He placed it on Zain's leg, causing it to glow. "You're stronger than I thought." he chuckled. Zain's leg suddenly grew back, with a new feature: A feather shaped scar that stretched across his knee.

"Let's go." Rahk said, grabbing Zain by the waist. He flew upward, and out of the ruins, and towards the town where all of the fighting began.

Rahk walked down the hallway of the inn he and Zain stayed in. An entire day had already passed from the fight, and Zain was still motionless. Rahk walked back into his and Zain's room, but saw something near Zain. A woman sat on a chair next to Zain, stroking his hair. He knew immediately who it was.

"Zain's mother." Rahk thought. He blinked, and her body was gone. He rubbed his eyes, but nothing appeared. He looked at Zain, who began to stuggle opening his eyes.

"Hey, I'm going to go get a drink at the bar across from this inn. I have to take care of some business, so when you wake up, come to me at the bar." Rahk begna to walk out of the room, grinning. He turned around, and shouted back, "I have something for you!" and walked away.

Zain looked up. Gwenalin was still on the chair besides him, looking at and smiling at him.

"You don't have long. The Earth cannot support you for any longer." she spoke.

"No, I must stay, it's my home." he replied. "I'd rather die."

"No, I do not want you to die. You are the last of the Woodlings, but you are something more: You are special, you will live.

"Yes." Zain replied, finally understanding. Words began to form inside of his head, as he spoke them aloud. "...when you wake, come to the Tavern..." he muttered to himself. Zain walked out of the door to the room, and turned around, only to see that Gwenalin had dissapeared.

Zain's energy had returned. He walked down to the tavern, where the foul odor of drunks and beer never escaped. He spotted Rahk at the counter, drinking another beer, staring into the wall. He tugged one of Rahk's feathers, causing Rahk to look down at Zain.

"Rahk, I have come to say good-bye. I cannot live here, the Earth is unable to support me. I have little time, so farewell my companion." Zain began to walk away from Rahk.

Rahk grabbed Zain's shoulder and chuckled. "Wait, there's something I wanted to give you before you left! Here." Rahk told Zain. He reached into his pocket, and took out a golden pendant. It sparkled, with a green gem inside of it, glowing. "It's suppose to bring the wearer eternal peace, but hasn't worked for me. Maybe it will work for you." he added. He handed Zain the pendant, then turned back towards the wall.

"Do you think that this is over, that Majotte is gone for good.?" Rahk asked Zain.

"I'm not sure." Zain replied. "I don't think Majotte would have died so easily. He will be back." Zain added.

With a large gulp, Rahk finished his mug of beer. "C'mon Zain." he said. Rahk flipped a golden coin to the bartender as they walked out of the wooden doors. It was already close to nighttime, shadows covered much of the grass and dirt.

Rahk looked down the parth where the nighttime dark began to cover the woods. He turned around to Zain, who blocked out a setting sun in the West. "Hey kid," Rahk spoke to Zain, "take care." Rahk stretched his hand out for another handshake.

Zain moved his hand to Rahk's, and both shook. "I hope we see each other again." Zain spoke.

Rahk chuckled. "We will!" he said. He gave Zain a thumbs up, and began to walk into the night woods, his image dissapearing behind the trees and shrubs.

Zain looked towards the setting sun, finally happy. "Time for me to go myself." he thought. A rip silently opened in front of his body. With no hesitation in his body, Zain began to walk into the rip. He strapped the pendant onto his neck, held onto it with one hand, and allowed the rip to engulf his entire body. With a brilliant flash, Zain dissapeared.

End Part 1

**I would appreciate some reviews for the story, and I'm finally glad to have finished the first.**

**Also, no, the story isn't over.**

**Thanks for reading so far, and prepare for the next chapter very soon.**


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